The Path to Darkness
by The Dark Lady Voldemort666
Summary: Everything Harry thought he knew about his life was a lie. Now, with his godfather dead and betrayal from all around, what will he do? Will he allow himself to continue to be used? Or will he rise up and become what he was always meant to be. SLASH  R
1. Chapter 1

**The Prologue **

Summary:

I have no-one. My so called friends, my grandfather-like headmaster. They were never on my side. The man I considered to be a parent, Sirius Black. Dead. What do I do now...

Disclaimer

I do not own Harry Potter. This is a work of fiction. That means that I will write my characters any damn way I want. If you don't like then don't read this story.

This story is co-written with the wonderful Lord Kieran.

A/N:

I really hope that you all enjoy the new and better Countdown. We put a lot of work into making a good story into a great story. Keep in mind that this is only the prologue and it is going to be short.

Prologue

Harry's POV

Some say that death is just the next great adventure. I disagree. I say that death is the only way I can finally be free. Free from the torment of this life that I have lived. Free from the expectations and the disappointments that have plagued my every step.

My name is Harry James Potter and I am ready for the freedom that has been denied to me all of my short sixteen years of life. The freedom of death. I know you are asking yourself how could a child be so unhappy that he would want death? They took my choices from me. Left me with muggle relatives, who did not want me, who neglected and abused me.

When I turned eleven I thought everything was going to change for the better. I found out I was wrong. Things got worse. The Wizarding World and The School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a wonder in itself till I found out that a man named Lord Voldemort was waging war on the Wizarding World and out to kill me. Right then I knew I was in for it.

Finding out that Albus Dumbledore was hiding things from me was no big shock. He was always a man of riddles and mysteries, keeping important facts from me. But finding out that he really didn't care for me as he proclaimed was another thing. It made my world tilt and my heart clench even more so when added with the pain and loss of my godfather Sirius Black.

Overhearing _them_ in his office made me want to run in there and kill them all. You heard right THEM. Ron and Hermione. Now I know everything in the past five years was nothing more than a LIE! It hurts to imagine all the adventures that we had together meant so little to them. That my friendship was a burden.

Those fools will find out I'm not one to take this lying down nor will I allow myself to be dangled from strings for them to play with. We'll see who will be sorry for what they've done. They were the ones I thought I could trust but it just shows how much you can really trust someone. Let's see how they handle this war without me. I will have my freedom and Voldemort can have the wizarding world all he wants. If death is the only way I can be free of the lies and illusions they have fooled me with, then death shall be my salvation. The old fool won't know what hit him and the Wizarding World will suffer for their stupidity. I will make them pay, and pay dearly.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Path to Darkness: CHAPTER 1 **

**Disclaimer**

**I do not own Harry Potter. This is a work of fiction. The characters in this story do not belong to me, they belong to J.K. I do however own this plot and any characters that are not in J.K's original books. Do not think you can copy my story and get away with it, if I find your story I will have it removed.**

A/N:

This story has been co written with Lord Kieran. I really hope you like the new chapters. Please go take a look at the poll up on my bio page to help me pick a new title for this story. Oh and don't forget to read and review.

_**Flashback**_

_'Thoughts'_

/_parseltounge_/

Harry POV

I can hear them calling, searching for me. Their voices are loud and filled with a desperateness that I know is not concern. It seems so obvious now. It is a wonder that I did not realize it before. I was so blind. I was so eager to belong, to be loved. I am such a fool. They don't even know where to find me when I need to escape. How could I ever have thought them true friends?

I am sitting on the cold stone floor of the owlery. The chill of the stone is not nearly enough to cool the burning anger that rises within me. I have never felt such anger in my life, such hurt. I have been wounded deeply by those I thought to be my closest companions.

I know they will find me soon. They have been looking for hours and I know one of them is bound to think of searching the owlery. If they truly knew me they would have come here first. It is the place I seek out for its solitude and peace. I know what times of the day when the owlery is most likely to remain undisturbed by any other student. And really, the only students who use the owlery most often are the first and second years. The ones still unused to being so far from their homes and families. It is easy enough to remain undetected from them if I so wish it. How I wish things were that simple again. No thoughts beyond what an evil git Snape is and how much of the day's homework I have left to do.

I can almost hear my friends now. The one demanding that we do our work and the other trying to think of anything to do but that. I wish I could unlearn what I have learned. I wish that Sirius was still alive and the war did not exist. Even if the war was still on, as long as I had Sirius I could say forget the wizarding world and go off with him to live out my life elsewhere. Somewhere I could be happy, where I wasn't expected to be a tool in a war that I no longer have any stake in. I have no one I can trust, no one to call friend.

Five fucking years. I would have done anything for them, I gave them everything and they were lying to me right to my face. Every smile, every hug, every 'have a good summer if you can' and every damn thing in between. It was all just a fucking job to them; they never really cared about me. That's it; after all I have done for the wizarding world they can go to hell. I don't care if Voldemort kills them all. They deserve it. This is why I am glad I never told them that I know the truth about what Lily and James did.

I would still be that same naïve person that I was only hours ago if I hadn't overheard that dreadful conversation. It was like a knife to my heart, wounding me deeper then the Dursley's ever had. These were the people I considered my friends, my family. It seems that ever since the loss of Sirius, my world has been crumbling down around me. What I heard in that office only served to bring things down faster. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.

_**I had been waiting outside the Headmaster's office for some time, trying to guess the password. It took more than a few tries before out of desperation I started trying muggle sweets. It was **__**Snickers.**__** I hadn't even known the Headmaster knew muggle confectionary. **_

_**As I walked up the stairs I could hear muffled voices. I paused for a moment on a step to listen. I really didn't want to walk in on the Headmaster talking to Snape. I was reassured by the sudden sound of Hermione's distinct voice followed by Ron's deeper tone. Even as I took another step closer to the top I wondered why my friends were in his office.**_

"…_**he's been constantly talking about Sirius..." Hermione said and I could kind of understand why she was telling the Headmaster that. I had been kind of depressed lately and it was hard without him around. But what happened next stunned me into immobility. **_

_**Ron interrupted her ranting. "He has been whining constantly 'Oh No, someone I knew for only like two years died and now I am all alone, I'm so depressed. Pay attention and feel sorry for me.' It's fucking annoying." **_

_**How could he say that? I thought, taking a step back. I couldn't have heard that right, could I?**_

_**Hermione laughed and I felt something inside me start to break. Hermione thought that Ron's words were funny? It is true that I had been extremely depressed after the death of my godfather but I hadn't thought it had bothered them so much. Weren't they my friends? Didn't they care that I was hurting, that I had lost someone who had become so dear to me? **_

_**With my mind reeling from the thought that my friends didn't care, I almost missed Dumbledore's words to them. "Well, keep him close. If he feels like you don't care he'll pull away and I can't risk it. If you do this right you will both be extremely rich by the end of this year."**_

_**When my mind caught up with what he said, I could almost feel the steps falling out from under my feet. Dumbledore had just implied that he was paying Ron and Hermione to be friends with me. That the only reason why they hung out with me was to get paid. A wave of nausea and dizziness almost overcame me.**_

"_**We'd better be. We're risking our lives every year. Not to mention putting up with his bitching." Ron said and Dumbledore chuckled in agreement. **_

"_**Now what else has our tool been doing?" The man I once regarded as a grandfather asked and I couldn't listen any more. I ran and went to the only place I felt safe.**_

It's still hard to believe that just a few hours ago I felt unconditional love and affection for those three. I would have saved the world just for them without even being asked. I would have given my life to keep them safe. Not anymore.

"Harry. There you are."

I look up at the sound of Hermione's voice. There is a note in her voice that I would have missed before but now I know it for what it is. Disdain. Annoyance. As though I am a child that needs to be taught a lesson. I say nothing.

"Come on mate. Let's go back to the common room." Ron suggests. He grabs me almost roughly by the arm and hauls me to my feet. I cannot find it in me to protest. The shock of it is all so new, so sudden. I feel as though it is all a dream and I will wake up in my bed and laugh with my friends at the crazy nightmare I just had.

But I cannot ignore the sidelong glances of annoyance. Nor can I ignore the coldness around them that I never noticed before. I can only wonder how I never saw it before. It is so obvious once you know what to look for. Had I been so starved for affection of any kind that I willfully ignored what was right in front of my face?

Once we reach the common room, Hermione and Ron quickly desert me for the couch by the fireplace. Presumably they want to spend some quality time together. Their single-minded devotion to each other is almost amusing. Had this been some other day I know I would have laughed and shook my head at their actions. Now, I find nothing amusing in anything that has happened. All I can hear are their hurtful words.

Alone, no one to turn to. The thought just keeps running through my head. I have nothing to live for any more. There is no one who would truly care if I were gone. I desire the freedom of nothingness, of oblivion. And I know exactly what to do. Let the wizarding world suffer in the mess that they have created.

NORMAL POV

Harry slipped undetected from the Gryffindor common room up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. He was pleased to find it empty of any of its usual occupants. The last thing he needed was to deal with any of his other year mates. There were things that he wanted to do and the less people there were prying into his business, the better.

Going over to his trunk, Harry opened it and quickly pulled out a parchment, a quill, and some ink. The first step in his path to freedom would involve a letter to Gringotts. He sat on a window ledge and laid the parchment out before him. Absently chewing on the end of the quill, Harry stared down at the blank parchment. He knew what he wanted to say but he wasn't sure if it would come out sounding childish or not. There were so many things about the wizarding world to which he was ignorant. That thought brought on a surge of annoyance which he quickly shoved down. He would have to think on that later. Now, he had a letter to a bank to write.

**To Whom It May Concern,**

**I am writing to you on a matter of great importance. I have recently discovered that the vaults that I have at your establishment have been used without my permission. I have not given my magical guardian, or anyone, permission to remove money or any items from my vault. It has also come to my attention that I have been denied certain knowledge concerning my family history. **

**Taking all that into account, there are several matters which I am hoping you can help me with. First, I Harry James Potter, request that I am the only one allowed access of any kind to all vaults that belong to me. Second, I would like to request a list of all vaults and property that are currently in my name. Third, I would appreciate an appointment at your convenience with the head of the Potter accounts. Lastly, if some or all of these requests are not possible due to my magical guardian, I would appreciate if any information regarding emancipation can be given to me or at least that I be directed to someone who can help me with this.**

**I am deeply grateful for your consideration on these matters.**

**Sincerely,**

**Harry James Potter**

Harry reread what he had wrote, once he was satisfied that he had what he wanted done with his accounts, he folded the parchment and put it in an envelope to await delivery. _'Just you wait Dumblefuck, I'll be free of all the strings you've attached to me.' _

Getting up from the window, Harry slipped out of the Gryffindor tower without being noticed. No one even glanced in his direction.

He walked quickly back to the owlery where his beloved snowy white owl waited. He passed not a single student on his way. Once he was done sending Hedwig off, Harry waited, watching her fly into the night. The sight of her beautiful white feathers flashing even in the moonlight always brought a smile to his face.

Turning away from the owlery, a satisfied smirk played across Harry's face that would have shocked any of his classmates.

Oh how things were going to change.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Path to Darkness: Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer**

**I do not own Harry Potter. This is the last time I will say this. Now read the damn story and it will show you the reasons that I don't own Harry Potter.**

A/N:

Co-written with Lord Kieran.

**Warnings:** Suicidal themes persist throughout.

_**Flashbacks**_

_'Thoughts'_

/parseltounge/

The next day Harry woke slowly as though swimming up from a great depth. For a while he laid in his bed staring at the ceiling wondering why he felt like crying. Then a flash of the day before passed through his mind and he closed his eyes as an intense feeling of anguish nearly crushed him with its intensity. For a moment, he wished he could simply fall back to sleep and never wake up again.

Hearing soft snores coming from different areas of the room, Harry realized he was the first one up for a change. The sudden thought of having to deal with the other Gryffindors spurred him into action. He heaved himself out of the bed, ignoring the small voice in the back of his mind telling him to just lay there until Voldemort destroyed the world.

Quickly throwing some clothes on, Harry grabbed his homework from beside his bed and left the room. It was early enough that he would have time to review his work before most people in the dorms started to rise. It would feel good for a change to show Hermione up in class. For too long he had let her convince him that he was not as smart as she was. He felt a grim sense of determination fall over him. He would no longer hold himself to their standards. The fact that he had been completely wrong about his friends made him wonder if he had been wrong about everything else in his life. He had a lot of re-evaluating to do.

Reading over his potions assignment, Harry found several small errors that he corrected immediately. They were simple, grammatical errors but he didn't want to give Snape any more excuses to take points. Finally, satisfied that it was as good as it was going to be at this late stage, he put the assignment away. _From now on_, he promised himself silently, _I will pay more attention to my homework. I am not stupid and I will prove it._

Hearing people start to come down stairs, Harry quickly packed up his books and made his way toward the great hall. He walked slowly through the nearly empty halls taking the time to think. There was so much he needed to organize and get right. He had wasted so much time and energy on people that were clearly not worth the effort. And he had put too much value on their words. Everything he knew would need to be reanalyzed from a different perspective. He didn't even know where to begin.

That depressing thought stayed with Harry all the way to the great hall. Once there, he decided to put the matter aside until he had more time alone to ponder it. He quickly put food on his plate and began eating. There was no way he wanted to be there when his backstabbing friends arrived.

It was just his luck that as soon as he finished eating, Ron and Hermione walked in and headed toward him. Harry repressed a grimace at the sight of them and tried to ignore the rising panic. He was so not ready to deal with them yet. He still needed time to process the reality of their betrayal.

"Hey Harry, where have you been?" Hermione asked in her firmest 'you better answer me voice'. It had the instant effect of raising Harry's hackles. There was nothing he detested more then someone talking down to him. Even when he had considered Hermione his friend that part of her personality had always annoyed him. He immediately stood up and grabbed his bag. The sudden urge to lash out at those who had hurt him overwhelmed Harry.

"I don't remember you being my fucking Mother. Where I go and what I do is none of your damn business!" Harry snapped angrily.

"Harry James Potter, just who do you think you are talking to me like that?" Hermione asked her tone full of shock and outrage. For some reason, that only fueled the fire of Harry's rage.

"Who do I think I am? I think the question is who do you think you are? What gives you the right to demand things of me? Does taking my money give you that right? Does taking my money make you my friend?" Harry questioned angrily. With every question he spat at Hermione, he could see her face getting paler and paler. Ron, standing silently next to her, looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" She asked in a quiet voice, her eyes darting around with apparent nervousness. It was obvious to Harry that she was trying not to draw attention to the trio. But Harry could tell it was a wasted effort. People paid attention to them no matter what they were talking about if only because he was Harry Potter. The fact that the three of them were arguing would only increase the interest in their conversation. Chances were the news of the fight would be all over the school by lunch.

"Don't act like you don't know what I am talking about. You sure as hell knew about it when you were talking to Albus Bloody Dumbledore last night. I can't believe you Hermione. I loved you like a sister. To find out that you were only using me makes me sick. I don't have anything else to say to you. Just stay the hell away from me!" Harry took a deep breath. He needed to get away from the two of them before he said something he regretted. He started to walk away when Ron decided to open his big mouth.

"Harry mate, you were hearing things. You know Hermione and I have been your friends forever. We have always been there for you."

Harry turned around with a furious expression on his face. "Just like you were there for me in fourth year? Or just like you were there when the papers called me crazy last year? It doesn't shock me that you would take money from me; you have always wanted my money and fame. I should have taken Draco's advice when he told me some wizarding families are better than others. I should have let the hat put me in the house I belonged. I should have never trusted you, but it's ok now. I don't have to worry about either of you anymore."

Before Harry could leave Ginny walked up to him, hips swaying. Her brown eyes were wide with sympathy. Harry might almost have believed she was innocent of the betrayal if her voice wasn't filled with sickeningly sweet concern. It was so obviously faked that it made him ill. "Harry don't be upset, I will always be here for you. I love you and you know that you will always have me."

Harry turned to her and said, "I don't know how many times I have told you I will never love you in that way. I think of you as a friend and nothing more."

The expression of concern faded from Ginny's face as he spoke and twisted into one of anger. It made her look almost grotesque. "Harry James Potter, you will fucking marry me when we leave Hogwarts! I have already picked out the damn wedding dress that I want. You told me that you loved me and I was your one and only love! How could you turn around and say something so hurtful like that now?"

Harry shook his head in amazement. He couldn't believe that someone could be so obstinate. "Ginny, I never told you anything like that. I have told you too many times to count that I am gay and you are not my fucking type. I don't give a damn about any wedding dress you may have picked out because I will never marry you. You have to be out of your mind if you think that I will marry a hero worshipping little bitch like you. I have tried to be nice to you because you were Ron's little sister, but I have never really liked you. From the first day I met you, all you have ever cared about is my fucking fame or my money. You would have to be out of your mind to think I would marry you."

With that Harry turned around and started to walk away. He couldn't stand to be in the same room as those three any longer. If he did, he was afraid he would attack them. And really, it was far too early in the morning to deal with Aurors. Before he could get to the doors Harry heard Hermione speaking.

"Albus is going to have to drug him with that potion again."

Harry felt the blood freeze in his veins. _A potion? They had drugged him with a potion?_

Harry turned around just as he heard Ginny speak up. "We will have to use the love potion after all. I didn't think that he would ever turn me down after he saved my life last year, but now I don't care what we have to do. I will be Mrs. Potter!"

Harry walked up to Hermione, his vision practically red. "That will never fucking work now, you stupid little mudblood, thank you for having a big ass mouth." Then he turned to Ginny and said in a cold voice "You will never be Mrs. Potter and I will never love you!" He turned and stalked as fast as he could out of the great hall but not before he got a good look at the Headmaster's face. The great Albus Dumbledore had not looked happy.

As soon as Harry cleared the doors of the great hall he took off at a run. He had to get away. It was all too much. _Hearing things? How could Ron suggest he was crazy? Ron knew how much that had hurt in fifth year. And Hermione? Potions what the fuck… I can't take this. I can't deal with this. _He kept running having no idea where he was going but he had to get away.

"Harry! Harry, slow down! Let me talk to you!" Harry turned slightly when he heard that voice, looking back over his shoulder. He was shocked to see Draco Malfoy chasing after him.

"What do you want Draco?" Harry asked slowing down to a fast walk. He barely registered the fact that he had used the other boy's first name. It just came out naturally, as though he had always used the blonde's first name.

"I heard what you said." Draco replied coming up beside him, slightly out of breath.

"So what, now you want to tell me how stupid I was to keep taking them back every time they hurt me! Well, I don't need you to tell me that. I don't need you to tell me that you were right the whole fucking time. I should have been put in Slytherin like the hat wanted me to be." Harry retorted angrily. He could feel all the pent up aggression towards the Slytherin wanting to pour out of him. It was such an ingrained part of his time at Hogwarts that it came so readily. He forgot that he hated his former friends, that he had promised himself to rethink everything. His anger and rage had him literally shaking as he walked.

"Will you shut the hell up, Potter! I just wanted to tell you that, I'm sorry that you wasted the last five to six years with them as your friends, when you could have had real friends. I wanted to tell you that I really wanted to be your friend when I offered in first year." Harry slowed down with every word that came out of Draco's mouth. He could feel his unreasoning emotions slowly melting away.

A plan started forming in Harry's mind. He hadn't been entirely sure what he wanted to do with everything that he had found out. Now, Draco was offering him another option. Something that was almost poetic justice.

"Draco will you do something for me?"

"What is it Potter?" Draco asked quietly. Harry could hear the caution in his voice.

"I want you to take me to Voldemort." Harry replied calmly.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? He will kill you on sight!" Draco looked at Harry like he was barking mad. The expression was amusing to see on the pureblood's face.

"Why do you think I want you to take me to him? I have had enough. I can't take the betrayals and lies anymore." Harry bitterly replied.

"Potter, you have lost your damn mind." Draco shook his head at him.

"What the hell do you care, you work for him any damn way!" Harry snapped. "I just asked you to do something that he almost certainly has told you to do. I just made your job a hell of a lot easier. If you won't take me, I will just have to find him on my own."

He was determined to stick with his plan. Although it had struck him on the spur of the moment, the more he had time to ponder it, the better he felt. Soon, he would be free. One way or the other.

Reluctantly, Draco nodded in agreement. Harry smiled in relief.

At least if Draco took him there himself he could talk to the Dark Lord first. He hoped. Perhaps things didn't have to end with his death.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Path to Darkness: CHAPTER 3**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own Harry Potter. I do however own the rights to write my story any way I want. If you don't like slash then don't read this story. You have been warned!**

**A/N:**

**Co-written with Lord Kieran.**

_**Flashback**_

/parseltounge/

'_Thoughts'_

DRACO'S POV

Even as I found myself nodding in agreement to Potter's request, I couldn't help the swirl of confusion that accompanied it. Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, had lost his mind. It had been apparent for a while that something was off with the dark-haired savior, but this came as a complete surprise. How could the boy who nearly everyone in the Wizarding World had placed their hopes on want to be taken to the Dark Lord? It was completely illogical. He clearly had no plans for the other wizard's demise. Harry Potter was the quintessential Gryffindor-brash, brave, and unthinking of the consequences. It would be a death sentence for him to walk into the Dark Lord's domain. _But perhaps_, I thought suddenly, _perhaps that is exactly what he wants._

Being in Slytherin had the effect of changing ones outlook on things and gave one a different view on what others might have missed. If Potter had been in my house, his actions would be viewed as exactly what I was starting to suspect they were – a cry for help. He wanted to die, to commit suicide but his Gryffindor nature would not let him do that without fighting. By asking to be taken to the Dark Lord, Potter knew he would be killed but not without fighting until the very end. _The Dark Lord is not going to like this._

I tried to keep my face cleared of all emotions as my father taught me but it was difficult. What would his friends say to him in this situation, I wondered. They were clearly part of the reason he felt the way he did. Obviously, they were more his enemies now then I had ever been. It made me wonder if a lot of his actions towards me and the Slytherins stemmed from their influences. I had meant what I said to him, I had truly desired to be his friend when I offered in first year.

"It'll take a couple days; I'll need to contact him first." I said slowly, watching the expressions on Potter's face. A slow, strange smile curved his lips. It was neither happy nor amused. In fact, it gave me chills just looking at him. I had opened my mouth to tell him so when Longbottom suddenly ran up to us.

"Harry…?" Longbottom said his name hesitantly as though worried Potter was going to lose his temper. I almost shuddered as Potter smiled that same creepy smile at his fellow Gryffindor.

"Professor Dumbledore asked me to let you know he wanted to see you in his office." Longbottom continued. At his words, something flashed in Potter's eyes to quickly for me to identify. Instead of replying, Potter nodded his head and Longbottom took off, leaving the two of us alone again.

"Let me know when you get a reply." Potter said suddenly, turning to stare at me with a strange glint in his eyes. I found myself nodding again in agreement. He took off down the corridor without another word leaving me rooted in place.

That look in his eyes combined with his bizarre smile and the suicidal request left me with two undeniable conclusions. Harry Potter had lost his mind and the Dark Lord would not be pleased.

NORMAL POV

Harry took his time as he walked up the stairs toward Dumbledore's office. He remembered the last time he had traversed them and anger, raw and intense, boiled up inside him. There hadn't been nearly enough time to process all the betrayal and lies that he had lived over the years. If the Headmaster said one wrong thing to him he feared he would explode. _Soon,_ he promised himself, _everything will be over._

Walking into the Headmaster's office, Harry halted for a moment in the doorway. He stared at the old man seated behind the desk, the man that he had once revered as a grandfather. Standing there in that office, it was easy to imagine that everything that happened had been a dream, a nightmare. He felt such an intense longing to forget everything that tears started gathering in his eyes.

The Headmaster motioned to him to take a seat and Harry walked woodenly towards the desk. He sat stiffly in the chair doing his best to reign in his conflicting emotions.

"Now my dear boy, you have been acting strange recently, is there anything bothering you?" The Headmaster asked with concern lacing every word. Any other time Harry had talked with the old man, he would have believed the concern was real. He wouldn't have noticed the calculating gleam in the Headmaster's eyes or the way the man's hands were stroking his wand. But what he had heard the day before echoed loudly in his mind as he stared at the Headmaster and he saw what he had never seen before.

"No Headmaster, why would you think something is wrong?" Harry asked sarcastically, angry that the Headmaster would continue with his charade.

"I have noticed a frightful change in your attitude and you were rather harsh and hurtful to your friends." Dumbledore said, staring at him from over the top of his spectacles. The ever-present twinkle in his eyes dimmed. A flame of anger started burning in Harry's chest.

"Are these the same friends that you have been embezzling money from the Potter vaults to pay off? The same friends that have been drugging me with potions?" Harry asked furiously. He clenched his hands into fists tightly trying to resist the urge to lash out physically.

The sudden anger that flashed across the Headmaster's face shocked Harry. He had never seen such a violent emotion directed at him by this man. It had been gone from Dumbledore's face so quickly that he almost thought he had imagined it. But it had been there, he knew that. And it was further proof that all he had known was a lie.

"Harry, dear boy, why don't we drink some tea and talk about this rationally? I can explain all of this to you if you calm down." The Headmaster smiled at him pleasantly as he spoke.

Forcing himself to visibly relax, Harry leaned back in the chair trying to appear receptive. He wanted to see if the old man would try something. It would be the final nail in the coffin.

A sudden flash of fire distracted Harry. He looked to Fawkes's perch where the phoenix was clearly experiencing a burning day. The fire burned quickly leaving behind an ash covered baby bird. Harry smiled sadly at the beautiful creature. He had very fond memories of Fawkes and now he feared they would all be tainted by knowledge of the truth.

"Here you are my boy." Dumbledore said, bringing Harry's attention back to him. Harry noticed sourly that that damn twinkle was back in his eyes.

Staring down at the cup of tea he had been handed, Harry pondered his choices. He had been distracted by the phoenix long enough that he had not seen whether the Headmaster had put anything suspicious in the tea. He wanted to confront the old man directly but he had a feeling the man would just lie to him some more. On the other hand, he had been practicing over the summer on his wandless and nonverbal spells. A small smile on his face, Harry lifted the cup of tea to his lips and pretended to take a sip while banishing a tiny amount of the liquid.

"Now Harry you must understand that your parents made me your guardian. As your magical guardian, I felt that you would not want your friends to feel badly about you having nice things when they did not. And with all of the money that you have, you would never miss the small amount that I gave your friends."

Harry was livid.

"If that was the case then why the hell did you not tell me this! Why did you not let me decide if I wanted to give my damn money away? You talk about their second-hand clothing but they have better damn clothes then me. I am sick of you trying to run my fucking life. You will never learn. You so easily forget what happen to the last person's life that you tried to control. You trying to run Tom Riddle's life is the reason that he became a damn Dark Lord in the first damn place." At the end of his tirade Harry was shaking with fury. How dare the Headmaster believe he could control people's lives like that.

"Calm down Harry, I was only trying to help you. Come, have some more tea. It will make you feel more like normal." The Headmaster held out a placating hand, a gentle smile on his face. At the last sentence, Harry stood from his chair. The Headmaster had all but confirmed it. There was a high possibility that he had put something in the tea. Harry felt something inside him shatter.

"That's a damn lie and you know it. If you wanted to help you would have asked me what I wanted to do with my money." Before the old man could say another word Harry ran from his office.

His heart pounding fiercely with adrenaline, Harry made his way quickly to the Gryffindor Common Room. The rage that had gripped him in the Headmasters office remained with him as he walked. He glared angrily at anyone that dared to cross his path. There was no one he could trust anymore. No one.

At the entrance to the common room, Harry was brought up short by the sad figure of Dobby wringing his ears. As the house elf spotted him, a look of fear crossed the small face. Realizing he must look terrifying to the house elf in his anger, Harry forced himself to take several calming breaths. As much as Dobby annoyed him sometimes, the house elf was still a good person. Harry felt momentarily ashamed that he had not thought of Dobby when he felt he had no one. The little house elf had always been a loyal companion.

"What's wrong Dobby?" He asked quietly and the elf hesitated.

"Dobby is not supposed to be telling yous Mister Potter but the Misses Weasley was asking Dobby to bring hers a potion and to put it in your drink. Dobby has to tell you Mr. Potter cause yous such a good wizard and so good to Dobby." Harry could tell the House elf was close to tears and quickly reassured him that he had done the right thing and that he had helped.

The elf left the hall somewhat reassured and Harry entered the common room his anger once more flaring up. As soon as he entered Ginny Weasley latched onto his arm. She completely ignored his protests and the expression on his face as she practically dragged him over to the seats by the fire.

"Harry darling come and sit with me. We have hardly spoken in so long. Here have a drink." Ginny said, offering him a glass. Harry saw red. It was too much to ask to be left alone. He didn't want to see any of the people he had once called friend until he had calmed down and had time to think. Now this bitch was trying to use a potion on him? No. Fucking. Way.

"NO, Ginny I don't want to." Harry said, gritting his teeth. He tried to pry her from his arm again but she wouldn't budge. The only way he feared she would move would be if he got violent and he really did not want another fight. At that precise moment, Ron and Hermione walked into the room. When they spotted him, they immediately headed in his direction.

"Hey mate." Ron said as though nothing was going on. As if they had not had a huge fight in the great hall a few hours ago.

"Leave me alone." Harry said quietly. He had to stay calm; it would be over soon but he had to be able to get away, to Voldemort.

"Harry, that's not nice. We're willing to forgive you for earlier but it has to stop. You can't take this attitude with us especially to Ginny you guys are going to be married soon." Harry's suspicions about whether the Dumbledore had put something in his tea were confirmed. There was no way they would act like nothing had happened unless they knew the Headmaster would drug him.

"I don't care if you forgive me or not. I told you once to leave me the hell alone and I meant it then and I mean it now! You are not my friends and you never were. You never cared or gave a damn about me; it was just about my money and my fame. I have told you a dozen times there is no way in hell I am going to marry you Ginny so just deal with it." Ginny began to cry as Harry said that and he managed to escape her desperate clutches. He rose from the couch and started to walk away.

Ron grabbed his arm and started to yell. "What do you mean you're not marrying my sister? It was the deal! Besides who else will talk to you let alone marry you? Your parents died because of you and now you've killed Sirius."

As soon as the words left his ex-friends mouth Harry pulled away and ran out of the room. He ran down the stairs hardly realizing where he was going. His mind was in a state of shock and disbelief. If he passed anyone in the halls he did not remember. Intense pain pierced his chest making him pant as he ran.

He didn't stop until he reached the entrance to the chamber of secrets. Moaning Myrtle was absent and Harry quickly opened the entrance and jumped down. He hissed back for the door to close. The chamber was the perfect place for him to hide. There was no chance that those traitors would find him here.

VOLDEMORTS POV

I was shocked as I listened to Draco describe the events at Hogwarts. I never thought the day would come when Harry Potter would wish to end his life. As the one prophesized to destroy me he should be protected and cherished. _What has that old fool Dumbledore done to let this come to pass?_

Listening to Draco recount the horrible fight between the Gryffindor trio and the subsequent discussion between the little lion and Draco, I found myself growing angry. The pain and sadness that that boy had been put through was unbearable. The only glimmer of hope in the whole affair was that he wished to speak with me. Perhaps there was still a chance to reconcile with the dark-haired Gryffindor.

Looking down at Draco where he sat at the edge of my dais, I pondered the situation. I was pleased that the blonde had brought the matter to me so quickly but it did present several problems. I needed to speak with the boy face to face but would he be ready to hear all that I had to say? And how could I convince him that ending his life would solve nothing?

"Draco, thank you for telling me this right away. You were right to think it important. But for the time being, I need you to return to Hogwarts and keep an eye on Harry. Report every morning about his activities and write immediately if there are any changes. I need time to process this development. If you can, then try to keep him from doing something stupid like killing himself before I can talk to him." I told Draco and the boy nodded as he rose. He would obey me in this as in everything.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Path to Darkness:Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer:**

**If either The Dark Lady Voldemort666 or I owned Harry Potter, Voldemort would have found better places to hide his Horcruxes. Like in the ocean or on another planet.**

A/N: This story is co-written with Lord Kieran.

**This chapter has an NC-17 Rating. Do not read if you do not like graphic male-on-male sex!**

/_parseltounge_/

**WARNING NAUGHTY GOODNESS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

The moment Draco left the room, the Dark Lord Voldemort, known as Tom Riddle to some, stood from the throne. He stared contemplatively in the direction the small blonde had gone. With a shake of his head he turned his mind from the current problem. There would be time enough later to deal with it. Of course, first he would have to deliver the news to his lover.

Striding quickly from the room, Tom made his way to his private rooms. When he arrived, he opened the door and smirked. His lover was sitting casually sprawled before the fireplace sipping a half empty glass of blood red wine. A small, pink tongue darted between sensuous lips to lick a small drop of wine from the corner of the man's mouth. Tom strode over to the man who watched his approach with hooded eyes.

"Draco has returned to Hogwarts. The news he brought us is surprising." Tom hesitated, staring down at the man. "Harry Potter has asked to see me. Draco believes he wishes to die."

The other man rose from his chair and set his wine on the mantle over the fireplace. He stepped closer to Tom, his expression one of deep concern. "Draco is excellent at reading people, but was he sure?"

"Yes, he was. The boy's friends have betrayed him along with the old man. They were drugging him with potions designed to make him obedient. I would imagine that right now he feels as though he hasn't anyone." Tom sighed. "We have to convince him that death is not the answer."

With another sigh, Tom reached out for the other man, placing a hand around a slender waist while his other hand reached up to slide slowly through long strands of silvery blonde hair. Pulling his lover close, Tom breathed deeply the man's scent. It soothed him quicker than anything else.

"It will not be easy to speak with the boy. We have both hurt him in the past." The blonde said quietly, reaching up to drape his arms around Tom's shoulders.

"Mmmm, my love nothing is ever easy." Tom murmured leaning close to his mate wanting to lose himself in the man's scent. Pushing back the man's hair over his shoulder, Tom's hand ran over the side of his mate's neck pushing his head gently to the side. Running his hand down the blonde's chest, he leaned in to teasingly lick and nip at the slender neck.

"Ahhh, Tom." His lover gasped, tilting his head further to the side to allow him better access. To tease the man, Tom pulled back just far enough to breathe in his ear.

"We have to try. If he knew the truth about his family and what we are truly fighting for, he might choose to stand with us. And we would have a chance to complete our bond." Tom had been unbuttoning the blonde's vest and the shirt beneath while he had been talking. Now his hand stroked the bare flesh that had been revealed, his eyes burning with desire.

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" The blonde moaned, breathless.

Tom smirked, running both hands under the rest of the blonde's shirt and behind his back. He enjoyed the way the man's muscles trembled beneath his touch and the warmth of the man's skin.

"Well then, Lucius, what would you like to talk about?" Tom purred the question, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the delectable neck.

"No more talk, Tom." Lucius leaned forward until his mouth was barely an inch from Tom's and their breath mingled. "I want you to fuck me."

Tom closed the small space between them claiming the other man's lips in a bruising kiss causing them both to moan. A fight for dominance ensued with tongues and teeth sliding and clicking together in a heated dance. In the end, Tom won the battle, Lucius melting into his embrace. The blonde pushed his robe off his shoulders and it slid off his body to pool at his feet. Tom stepped forward, out of his robe, kissing Lucius deeply. The blonde somehow managed to unbutton and pull out Tom's shirt even as he was kissed breathless.

The press of bare skin against bare skin caused both men to groan. Heat flared between them and Lucius bent his head to shower Tom's chest with licks and kisses. He moaned at the taste of his lover's flesh, his hands moving to pinch and twist the others nipples into hard nubs. At Tom's moan, Lucius smiled. He loved the sound of the other man's voice filled with passion. When Tom nudged him downward, Lucius flicked darkened silver eyes up to stare into burning red ones. He smirked even as he dropped to his knees.

"Lucius, I order you to suck me." Tom growled down at him, his hands buried in Lucius's silky blonde locks.

"As you wish, My Lord." The man all but purred the words against his hard covered length.

Unbuckling the belt and unbuttoning the trousers, Tom's hard cock sprang free of its confinement the tip beaded with clear pre-cum waiting to be licked up by the blonde's tongue. Tom's hand tightened in Lucius's hair even as he hissed at the cool air hitting his cock. He urged the man to continued what he was doing wanting to ram his painfully hard erection into the man's skilled mouth and down his throat.

Lucius ran the tip of his tongue from base to tip of the hard length, savoring the taste and texture of it. He looked up into Tom's eyes and wrapped his lips around the head of his cock, swirling the back of his tongue over it in his mouth, tasting the pre-cum that had gathered there.

Tom, darkest lord the wizarding world had ever seen, was in heaven. He watched as the blonde head of his lover start to bob up and down his cock, taking him deeper and deeper into the warm, tight, wet mouth.

"That's it Luc, suck me good." He groaned as he watched his lover's sinful lips and mouth work him. He couldn't help but groan at the sight his lover made.

Lucius bobbed his head down, taking more of his lover's cock into his mouth. He made his way down the delicious cock slowly, before rising even slower. When he reached the tip of his lover's cock he gently placed his tongue onto the slit, sliding his tongue back and forth before licking around the head. When he licked at the spot that was just underneath the tip of his lover's cock, Tom's hips buckled and he thrust forward and let out a strangled moan. Lucius raised his eyes to his lover and released the cock out of his mouth with a wet soft pop.

"Is there something you need, My Lord?" Lucius asked as he picked up Tom's cock and licked teasingly at the head.

Tom groaned and hissed at the loss of warmth. And with that Tom waved his hand to spell the rest of their clothes away, growling as he pulled Lucius up and dragged him over to the bed.

"Smart ass, I'll show you what I need." Tom growled at him with arousal and the blonde remained pliant to his wishes.

Shoving his blonde mate on the bed and climbing over him, Tom pressed their bodies together. The feel of their cocks rubbing against each other, both slick with pre-cum, nearly made him cum. Lucius could only moan and buck up into the hard body above him. Tom bent his head and captured his lover's lips. The kiss was hard and passionate, full of need and want. Then, without warning, Tom grabbed his hips and flipped him over.

Now on all fours, Lucius felt his lover run his hands over his ass and wiggled up into the calloused palms. Tom just chuckled and gave him a slight slap leaving a nice pink handprint on his right cheek. Lucius gave a gasp of surprise at the stinging sensation on his bottom.

"Hold still." Tom ordered him. Without a wand or a word, he called the bottle of lubricant out of his bedside table and into his hand.

He loved preparing his lover this way, instead of using charms to do the work for him. He guessed it was because by the time he had finished preparing his lover, he was damn near begging to be taken. Popping the bottle open he lubed his fingers and his cock so he wouldn't have to pick it up again, then he tossed the bottle aside. He began running his fingers over his lover's crack to the puckered entrance.

"Tom, please, I want more. Don't tease me." The blond man begged over his shoulder, his eyes dark with need.

Spreading Lucius's cheeks apart with his one hand, Tom began to prod and push is fingers into Lucius's tight heat, feeling the ring of muscle give way to the intrusion. Tom pushed his finger all the way in and moved it around gently, giving the blonde time to get used to the penetration. When Lucius started pushing back on his hand, he added a second finger then a third. He spread his fingers inside Lucius causing the blonde to let out a shuddering breath.

"Tom, please, I'm ready. I need you." Lucius begged, pushing back desperately against the fingers inside him.

Tom wanted to make the sexy blonde beg a little more before he gave him what he wanted so badly. He smirked as his fingers hit the bundle of nerves within his lover and he pressed down on it. The blonde arched his back and moaned loudly.

"Oh, Merlin! Tom, fuck me! Please!"

After taking a moment to make sure his lover was ready for him, Tom inserted the tip of his cock into the tight ring of Lucius's gorgeous ass. He didn't stop pushing until he was fully seated inside his lover. The tightness of the blonde never failed to amaze him. No matter how many times they made love, he was always such a tight fit that it nearly hurt. Tom loved it.

Lucius groaned at the feeling being filled gave him. His cock, which was already hard, was now hard as a rock and red from the tension in his body. He could feel it pulsing with the need for release.

"Damn you're so tight." Tom gasped out. The only thing the other man could do was grip the sheets beneath him tightly. He would never get tired of the feeling of being inside his lover. It was the best feeling in the world. Tom gripped his hips and started to move at a slow pace, thrusting in and slowly pulling out.

"I love the way you taste, I love the little sounds you make for me." Leaning over, Tom moved his hand down to his lover's leaking cock. He took a firm grip on it and started to pump in time to his slow steady thrusting. Lucius could do no more than moan and beg him to speed up.

"Faster, Tom. Faster. Please." Tom let out a small laugh, teasing him a bit longer. But he couldn't ignore the need to cum for very much longer. With Lucius pushing back to meet his thrusts, he sped up, their bodies making loud slapping noises as they moved together. Moans and groans were heard all around the room. Tom looked down and watched as his thick, long, hard cock moved in and out of Lucius. It was almost a hypnotizing sight.

"Oh yesssss, that's it Tom. Harder." The blonde groaned back at him. Tom slammed sharply into him in response, thrusting inside of Lucius faster and harder. Each thrust hitting that sensitive spot inside the blonde.

"Oh, fuck Luc. You feel so fucking good." Tom gasped out as he tightened his grip on his lover's cock, stroking the throbbing flesh harder. That was all it took to push the blonde haired man over the edge.

Lucius threw his head back, his mouth open in a silent cry of pleasure and came hard all over his lover's hand. Tom, feeling the cock in his hand twitch and the sudden clenching around his cock, came. His seed shooting deep inside Lucius. He continued to thrust as he rode out his orgasm, moaning as Lucius milked his cock. Once he was completely spent he leaned over his lover, who had collapsed down on the bed. Gently, he pulled his softening cock out of the blonde pressing a kiss to one lean shoulder. Lucius turned to look at him, a small smile on his face.

"I love you Tom." Lucius whispered tiredly. His blonde hair was limp with sweat; some strands had become plastered to his forehead.

Tom smiled fondly and brushed the hair from his lover's face. His fingers traced the familiar contours of the aristocratic features.

"And I love you, my silver snake." He whispered back. The two shared another kiss before drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.

-**Back At Hogwarts**-

Harry had just entered the main part of the Chamber of Secrets. He thought about all of the things he had been through with his so called friends. The Philosophers stone in first year. Now that he thought about it, it was a little too easy for three first years to get past all of the defenses guarding the stone. It had also been too easy to figure what was being guarded in the first place. If three first years could figure it out, then so could Voldemort. If he had really wanted the stone he could have had the stone at any time that year.

Then there was his second year. How had Dumbledore not known that there was a basilisk in the school? The chamber had been opened before. That old man had been setting him up the entire time. He had wanted Harry to go after that damn monstrous snake.

Then there was his third year. How had Sirius even been able to get past Hogwarts 'oh so powerful' wards? Shouldn't the school have been warded against criminals?

He didn't even want to talk about his fourth year. He just couldn't understand how Dumbledore could have known Mad-Eye Moody for as long as he said he had and not notice something wrong with his old friend. He didn't know if he could trust anything the old man had ever told him.

More and more he thought about how of all the people he could have sent to pick him up he had sent a magicless grounds keeper. This same person who hated Slytherin with a passion. Then he had been left at the train station with no way to get on the train. No clue even of how to get to the train. Then out of the blue Ron and his family had arrived, talking loud enough to attract anybody in the area. He had to be the most stupid person in the word to have missed all of the signs.

How did a muggleborn that had never been in the wizarding world besides to get her school things know who he was? Not just who he was but she even knew things about his family that she should not have known. Not for the first time he wondered what his life would have been like if he had taken Draco's hand of friendship, he wondered what his life would have been like if he would have went to the house he belonged. He could still remember the hat telling him that he would find his real friends in Slytherin and that Slytherin could help make him great. If he just would have listened to the hat he might be happy now instead of sitting in a chamber with the remains of a giant snake.

He was even beginning to wonder if his godfather had really loved him. He stopped that train of thought right there. He did not think he would be able to last until he saw Voldemort if he thought that the only person to show him any kind of parental love had just been playing him.

Trying to keep his mind off of the pain of his friend's betrayal, Harry started to walk around the chamber. This would be the first time he got a chance to look around without the threat of imminent death hanging over his head. He had to admit that the chamber was beautiful.

It had high, arched ceilings that were littered with little blue and white lights that looked like the night sky. At the far end of the chamber stood the white and green marble statue of Salazar with a large black snake wound around his neck from which the basilisk had emerged. All along the sides of the chamber were black and silver marble columns. That had large silver Egyptian asps spiraling up with their hoods flaring out. The eyes of the snakes ranged from an emerald green, to a vibrant blue to a deep crimson. The fangs of the snakes were all different lengths of diamonds. The entire chamber seemed to be carved from the black and silver marble. The whole chamber seemed majestic and as if he were standing in a grand cathedral to some forgotten monarch. It was truly beautiful. He could see why Marvolo would spend his time in such a place.

Walking along the dark path on one side of the chamber, Harry took a closer look at the columns. He noticed with surprise that each column had a series of little snakes carved into them, twisting up and down the sides. Walking from one column to the next, he paused before one, noticing something different about it. There were symbols carved into it that did not appear on any of the other columns. The symbols were curved and strange looking but Harry had the strangest feeling he had seen them somewhere before. Taking a closer look he realized that it must be a written form of parseltounge. Lifting his wand up to the writing he cast a strong _lumos_ and leaned in.

/_Reveal what has been kept secret from those who have a lack of understanding. Let my eyes now see what has been hidden from others_/ Harry hissed in parseltounge.

With a loud grinding sound the column started to lower into the ground and a set of stairs appeared in its place. Keeping the light on the end of his wand Harry peered down to see a set of stairs leading into the darkness below. He stepped down onto the first step and started to descend the stairs. When he reached the bottom torch lights came on lighting up the chamber he was in. Looking around he saw that he was standing in a large room surrounded by bookshelves on nearly every wall. The shelves were lined with books. He took a few steps further in looking around, when he heard a deep and masculine voice call out.

"Who are you, little one?" Harry turned around so fast that he lost his balance and fell on his ass, his lumos spell winking out. Looking in the direction he heard the voice come from he found himself staring into wine red eyes. For a second he thought he was looking at a picture of Lord Voldemort but then he noticed how the man was dressed.

"I asked you a question child."

Harry scrambled up to his feet as fast as he could and said in a strong and confident voice. "I am Harry Potter." The man in the picture just gave him a look that told Harry he was fooling no one with his show of bravery. "Who are you, may I ask?"

The man in the picture looked down at him, sizing him up with a narrowed glare to see if he was worthy to tell him his name. Finally after a minute the man spoke.

"My name is Salazar Slytherin." Harry took a step back and reached for his glasses to make sure they were still on his face and to hide his shock.

"You can't be Salazar Slytherin." Harry said slowly, trying to remain calm.

"Why not?" The portrait asked smirking.

"All the pictures of you have green eyes and short black hair." Harry pointed out taking a step forward, his gaze narrowed at the man.

"I did look that way once. When I lived in that world. Now, though, I prefer to allow my creature inheritance full reign." Salazar replied simply, shrugging as though the information was unimportant.

"Creature inheritance? You're not human?" Harry looked closer at him.

"I just said I was not." Salazar drawled almost lazily. "You will find that history books and the truth are far from one and the same. I was in fact born over three hundred years before they say."

"You talk like you are still alive." Harry brows pulled together in confusion.

"That would in fact be a correct assumption. I no longer live in that world however. There are far too many things about that world that I would rather not deal with. I find the demon world more to my liking." Salazar informed him.

Harry blinked at the man in shock. "The Demon world? The demon world is better than here?"

"Most assuredly. My Marvolo and his mates are fighting a losing battle in that world. I will come for them soon. They do not belong in a world that does not understand them." Salazar stated firmly.

"Marvolo. You mean Tom Riddle." Harry glared at the man. "He is killing off innocent people! How could you defend that?"

"You have no idea what you are talking about child. You are defending a group of people that will wipe out the magic in THAT world, in the future." Salazar replied sternly. Harry was about to retort until Salazar saw it and beat him to it.

"There is more going on then you could possibly imagine. Have you not recently come to understand how deep the betrayal of the light side can be?" Salazar asked quietly, leaving Harry stunned.

"How do you know that?"

A sad smile twisted the man's face. "The castle has ears, child. There is not much that goes on it that I do not hear about eventually. Why do you think I have revealed myself to you? You have the potential to rise above what has been done to you to become a great wizard if you are given the knowledge and the chance to do so. Let me enlighten you on what is _really_ going on. Then you may judge Marvolo on his actions."

His mind whirling with conflicting emotions, Harry took a deep breath. Here was a chance to finally understand some of what was happening. Hadn't he been lamenting his lack of knowledge on the wizarding world? Steeling himself, Harry nodded. "Please, tell me."

"First, you should know the reason why muggleborns and half bloods are looked down on by the rest of the magical world. When those with muggle blood in their veins marry into a pureblood family, the offspring from such a union are weak in magic, tainted if you will. The muggle blood also brings with it all the illnesses that plague the muggle world. There are witches are wizards that are dying from diseases and illnesses that the muggleborns have brought with them. And the influx of muggle blood has shortened the average lifespan of wizards from close to four hundred years to less than two hundred in most cases." Salazar paused, letting the information settle in Harry's mind. Then he continued grimly. "Have you noticed how few children there are in your house? In your year? All the pureblood families used to produce at least two children if not more. Now they are lucky enough to have one. The child mortality rate has more than doubled since Hogwarts was first opened. I have watched each year as the number of pureblood families has went down, I have watched as the magical capability has decreased. In that world, magic is dying."

A feeling of dread crept over Harry as he listened. What Salazar was telling him made a horrible kind of sense. He knew that there were not a lot of students in his year at Hogwarts. And the sorting each year was shorter and shorter. It was a wonder that he had not noticed the significance of that before now. If what Salazar was saying was true, the muggleborns and the half bloods were the cause. No wonder there existed such prejudice in the wizarding world. A lot of views he had never quite understood before suddenly made a whole lot of sense. Before he had time to ponder more, Salazar was speaking again.

"I bet that it is rare to find wizards that can perform wordless or wandless magic. I bet that it is even harder to be able to find a wizard that can perform the ancient shadow magic, mind magic or even any elemental magic. Muggleborns bring their unclean and unnatural magic into the magical world. And although the effect is slow, it is nevertheless deadly. That is why they are called mudbloods. Their magic is contaminated." Salazar explained.

Harry could now understand why Malfoy had such vehement reactions towards muggleborns. It was all so much clearer to him now.

"Another reason that muggleborns are disliked so much has to do with tradition and culture. Rather than trying to understand the wizarding world's culture, muggleborns seek to impose their own views as to what should be acceptable and what is not. So much has been lost of the old world that the wizarding world is nearly unrecognizable. There used to be no laws against marriage between any who loved each other. Now, because of the muggleborns, a man may marry a woman and that is all." Salazar sighed deeply as he said the last and Harry could see anger lurking in his red eyes.

"I hadn't realized." Harry whispered. He felt lost all of a sudden. His perceptions of the wizarding world were shifting, changing, and becoming what exactly he wasn't sure.

Salazar nodded at his words. "Ignorance is bliss they say and I would begrudge no one their ignorance if it did not lead to fear and hatred. Imagine your son, your first born, playing with a muggleborn. Imagine that your son, in all his innocence, performs accidental magic. Now, imagine the father of the muggleborn, upon seeing this magic, becomes afraid and takes your son shaking him so hard that his neck snaps." At this, Salazar closed his eyes in pain. With his eyes still closed, he continued in a whisper. "My son, my child, was five years old. Ignorance killed my son just as ignorance is slowly most assuredly killing the wizarding world."

Harry felt his heart clench in empathy. To lose a child at such a young age was a loss that he could not even begin to imagine.

After a moment of silence, Salazar visibly gathered himself. "Do you understand why muggles and anyone tainted with their blood are so reviled? What happened with my son is not an isolated incident. Can you possibly find a reason to defend people like that? People who would kill something simply because they did not understand it. People who would abuse you and treat you like a house elf simply for something that you have no control over."

Harry flinched, looking at Salazar with wide eyes. "You know…how?"

"The walls have ears, remember?" Salazar said giving Harry a small smile before his expression became serious once more. "I truly do not blame you for what you have been told or not told as the case may be. But there is no longer time for you to remain ignorant. You must learn to think for yourself, child."

Harry nodded slowly. He had had much the same realization. Then he had a sudden thought. "You said that the children of muggles and purebloods are weaker? If that is true then how do you explain Voldemort? He is one of the most powerful wizards alive."

A smirk spread across the man's face. "Marvolo is not a half blood. After Albus Dumbledore killed his true parents, he was placed in that orphanage. His mother was in fact a powerful demon as was his father. They were not, however, true mates else they never would have been able to be killed."

Harry thought about what Salazar said carefully. "Then how do you explain what happened when Voldemort tried to kill me and how he managed to keep coming back."

Salazar looked at him seriously. "Understand that what I am about to tell you is sensitive information. I am only telling you so that you might understand Marvolo better."

"I understand." Harry told him, curious now as to what Salazar Slytherin had to tell him about Voldemort.

"Marvolo has bonded with one of his mates already. When a demon bonds with their true mate or mates, it is nearly impossible to kill them. Especially the alpha or dominant of the pairing or trio. In order to successfully kill such a demon, the beta or submissive would have to be killed. Marvolo has kept well the secret of who his mate is and would never put this person at risk." Salazar explained.

"So Voldemort has more than one mate?" Harry asked, confused.

"Marvolo is as powerful as me if not more so. He will have two mates just as I do." Salazar spoke with pride evident in his voice.

"Who are your mates, Salazar?" Harry asked curious as to who Salazar could be possibly mated to.

"Oh, now why would I tell you that?" Salazar smirked down at him.

"Please great and powerful Salazar Slytherin."

"Has anybody ever told you that flattery will get you nowhere?" Harry just gave Salazar a look that said it was worth a try.

"Well, it doesn't really matter whether you know who my mates are or not. You could never harm them as they would kill you before the thought even entered your mind. My mates are both as famous or infamous as I. The lovely Rowena Ravenclaw Slytherin and the stunning Morgan le Fay Slytherin are my mates." Harry's eyes widened as Salazar spoke their names. The softening of Salazar's eyes made Harry smile. The love the man felt for his mates was clearly visible.

"So does that mean that they are alive as well?" Harry asked.

"Yes they are, in fact they are in the other room doing who knows what." Salazar replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"This is just so much for me to take in all at once." Harry groaned holding his head in his hands. He felt ready to burst with all the knowledge that had just been shared with him.

"Sleep then, little Gryffindor. When you are ready, seek me out. There is more to learn and I do not want to overwhelm you with the enormity of it all." Salazar told him, not unkindly.

Harry looked at the man, another thought crossing his mind. "I am curious about one more thing. How is that we are talking like this? You say that you are in the demon world but I am here talking to your portrait. No portrait that I have heard of can speak of past, present and future."

Salazar smiled. "You are absolutely correct. There are no portraits that have that ability. But this is not a portrait, rather it is a mirror. I can see inside of my chamber or anywhere else that my portraits are located. Now, that is enough for the night. Off to bed with you." Salazar made a small shooing motion with his hand before fading from the frame leaving an ordinary mirror behind. Shaking his head, Harry looked around the chamber one last time. There was really too much for him to take in. He barely even registered the room. Deciding that Salazar was right, Harry made his way out of the chamber and back to the Gryffindor dormitories.

As he lay in bed staring blindly into the darkness, his mind reeling, a sense of inevitability stole over him. If there had ever been a time when he could step away from what was happening and find a life of blissful obscurity and ignorance somewhere, that time had passed. Now, whatever happened, he knew he could not turn his back and simply forget what he had learned. Although it didn't seem nearly as world-shattering as his realization about his friends, Harry couldn't help one thought that rose to the forefront of his mind. _Everything has changed._


	6. Chapter 6

**The Path to Darkness Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer**

**I am not J.K.R this means that as much as I would want to. I do not own Harry Potter. NO money is made from this story.**

A/N: This story is co-written with Lord Kieran.

/_parseltounge_/

The next morning Harry sat up in his bed feeling a vague sense of déjà vu. He was filled with a heavy dread and a dull sense of apathy washed over him. It was like that morning after he found out his friends had betrayed him. He wanted it all to be a dream. He didn't want to think about what Salazar Slytherin had told him. Perhaps it was merely Voldemort messing with his head. Maybe the whole affair was some illusion or hallucination that Voldemort had forced upon him. Harry longed desperately to believe that to be true but the dull ache in his chest belied that assumption.

The sound of hushed voices reached his ears as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He winced as he recognized the sound of his former friends conversing. Why they thought talking in Ron's bed with the curtains drawn would block out the sound was beyond him. He would have thought that Hermione at least would have thought to put up a silencing spell.

Leaning forward, Harry strained his ears and heard Hermione speaking. "Ron, remember Albus told us to get Harry to drink his pumpkin juice with the potion in it and don't forget to pretend that we are mad at him for the way he talked to us. We are supposed to make him feel terrible about the cruel and hurtful things that he said."

"I know Hermione, if we don't then we will never get the money that we were promised." Ron replied. He spoke louder than Hermione making it easy for Harry to understand what he was saying.

He heard Hermione sigh and could almost picture her look of exasperation. "I don't care about the money, all I care about are the books in his family vaults."

"How could you only care about some old books? With all the money we're going to get you could buy as many books as you wanted." Ron told her and Harry drew in a deep, shuddering breath at his former friends words.

"Some of those books are out of print and can never be brought. Some of those books are the only copy left in the world." Hermione retorted.

"Anyway," Ron said hurriedly, clearly in an attempt to change the subject. "I still can't believe that he found out about us, he was always just so easy to make him believe we were his friends. As soon as he takes that potion, we will have to act like the perfect little golden trio again. I hate having to pretend to be his friend. Nevertheless, I would do just about anything to get the money I was promised. You know that Albus was right and if we don't get him back under control he might turn out just like Voldemort." Ron said grimly. There was a note of fear in the redhead's voice and Harry almost laughed. The wizarding world truly deserved the terror of Voldemort if they were all as cowardly as Ron.

"Harry will never join Voldemort as long as he believes that Voldemort murdered his beloved parents." Hermione said, the smugness thick in her voice.

Harry had had just about enough of listening to them talk about him, but right as he was about to pull the covers back he heard something that made his blood run cold.

"You know that after he gets Ginny pregnant with his child and kills Voldemort, Albus is going to get rid of him. I know that we have to find all of Voldemort's horcruxes before the bastard can be killed off for good, but I just can't wait to get rid of the little git."

Harry covered his mouth to keep in the scream that was threatening to come out. Even though he knew that they did not care about him, he couldn't believe that they were planning on killing him. He had listened to these people that he had trusted ever since he came into the wizarding world plot his death. He sat there frozen as a cold chill filled his body. He felt his heart drop like a stone straight into his stomach. The sensation made bile rise to the back of his throat.

"Shut up Ron! Are you stupid? What if he hears you? Do you ever learn to keep your mouth shut?" Hermione snapped and Harry heard the sound of a soft thump followed by a muffled curse. He could almost picture Hermione smacking Ron upside the head and had to fight back a wave of nostalgia.

"Sorry Hermione, but that stupid git is still sleeping. I checked before you even came up here. Why else do you think I told you that it was all clear? Besides, didn't Albus say he was going to send Harry another dream about what Voldemort was up to? You know that if he sends him one of those dreams that he will still be sleep because when he wakes up in the middle of the night it takes him a while to go back to sleep." Ron's reply was belligerent, his voice almost a whine.

"Yes, but still you can never be sure about things like that. We don't want him to find out any more of Albus's plans for him. Well come on Ron! It would look weird if he found us up here talking."

As soon as he heard the door close, Harry jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind him. After the vomiting and nausea had past, Harry dragged himself into the shower and turned the water as hot as he could stand it. He then began to break down sobbing and crying, he cried for all the years he trusted them, he cried for the loss of his first friends and he cried for the life he could never get back.

Hitting his knees, his dark head tilted down to his chest where his hand was clawing over his heart. He sobbed hard with the pain of knowing now that he wasn't wanted by anyone, that all along they hadn't care for him one bit. Not even to let him live his own life after the war. In the back of his mind, despite all that he had learned over the last few days, there had still remained a tiny shred of hope. Hope that his friends really did care for him, that he had misunderstood everything. Now, that hope had finally died. As his sobs lessened, he gathered himself up and told himself that he would never cry for the people who hurt him, ever again.

Turning off the shower and getting out, he decided that he had a lot of planning that needed to be taken care of. He was going to show them, he was going to show them all. He was going to show them he would not take this like the good little golden boy any more.

Drying off and wrapping the towel around his waist, he unlocked and opened the bathroom door stepping out and heading over to his wardrobe to pull out his robes. Getting dressed he pulled out his list of things he was going to do to get his revenge on the people who had hurt him. He scribbled a few more things down on it before he went to the end of his bed to put it in his trunk.

Harry quickly put all of his things he would need for his classes in his school bag, then he quickly shrunk his trunk and placed it into one of his robe pockets. He didn't trust those in his dorm especially the red head not to mess with his stuff. Then he ran down the stairs to get out of the tower before he had a chance to see those people. Well fate must not have been on his side, because before he could make it down the stairs and out the portrait's door, he saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny talking when he entered the room but, he already knew that they were up to something so he just ignored them. He quickly walked out of Gryffindor's common room door with his shrunk trunk in his pocket. He would never leave it in the room ever again. He kept walking even when he heard them calling after him. He did not even miss a step; they were not worth his time anymore.

When he reached the great hall, he went to the Ravenclaw table instead of the Gryffindor table. He walked up to Luna and asked if he could sit with her. He had always liked Luna because she was sweet and maybe just a little bit crazy and that was alright with him. She had never turned on him once in his years at Hogwarts and he was beginning to see what a blessing that truly was.

"Hello Harry, are the nargles bothering you again today?" Harry gave her one of the first smiles that he had since he found out about Ron and Hermione.

"They are always bothering me now." Harry half jokingly-half bitterly told her.

Luna looked at him. "You will find love and real friends with the silver snake and his white wolf."

"Who are the silver snake and the white wolf? And when will I find them?" Harry looked and tilted his head slightly at Luna in a confused and interested way.

"In due time Harry, in due time." Luna smiled dreamily at Harry, who in turn just smiled back at her and started to put food on his plate.

The sound of screeching owls announced the arrival of morning post. Looking up from his plate he saw Hedwig, soaring in from the high windows of the great hall with all the other owls, she was the only one that stuck out from the rest of the black, gray and, tan owls, with a letter tied to her leg. Flying over to him she dropped the letter down in front of him and nearly into his plate before he caught it. Hedwig landed and settled down by his plate waiting for her treat.

"Here you go, girl." Harry reached to his plate to pick up a piece of bacon and handed it to her, for her to nibble on as she flew off back to the owlery with it.

Luna looked over at him to see Harry opening his letter from Gringotts. Harry slipped out his letter and began to read to himself.

**Mr. Potter,**

**We here at Gringotts have received your letter and it concerns us greatly. We had thought you had given your magical guardian, Albus Dumbledore, your permission to remove items from your accounts, for he had your signatures to do so. **

**We apologize for any inconvenience that it may have caused. Anything that has been taken out shall be immediately put back into your accounts. We have taken the liberty to block off all access to your account to your magical guardian and anyone who wishes access until you are able to come to Gringotts to handle the problems caused by said guardian.**

**We also feel you should come in for any further information pertaining to your account information and the matter of emancipation due to the fact that letters can be misplaced or delivered into the wrong hands. It is in your best interest to send back a reply for when will be the best time that you can visit the bank. **

**Once more, we do apologize for any inconvenience that has occurred.**

**Head Accountant of the Potter and Black Accounts,**

**Silverclaw**

**Head Manager of Gringotts,**

**Goldfang**

"Anything good, Harry?" Luna asked going back to her plate.

"Not really." He slipped the letter back into the envelope and into his inside robe pocket.

Not even five minutes later out of nowhere Luna leaned close to Harry and whispered to him; "The nargles are coming this way, Harry."

He looked up in time to see Ron and Hermione walk up to him.

"Harry what are you doing sitting with Loony Luna?" Ron asked glaring at the girl in question.

"Luna is my friend, I can sit with her if I want to. Who are you to determine who I sit with?" Harry barely repressed a sneer at the red-head. He was proud of himself for maintaining a semblance of control but he could feel the rage boiling up inside him. _No, _he told himself, _I must not give in to my anger._

"We're your friends, Harry. We are merely concerned about you." Hermione smile sweetly at Harry and he felt sick. She couldn't be serious.

"That's right." Ron chimed in. "We're your best friends. You shouldn't sit at a table other then Gryffindor. It's not right."

Harry saw red. "Not right? I'll tell you what's not right. My two backstabbing, traitorous, money hungry, former best friends thinking they have any say in my life. So if you wouldn't mind, how about you both go to hell and let me eat in peace. I would like to enjoy food that has not been poisoned by the two of you, I like my pumpkin juice without potions to get me back under 'The Dark Lord' Albus's control." Now Harry sneered openly at his two former friends, feeling a thousand times better after getting all that off his chest. Although he had a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he would regret saying things so openly. He just couldn't bring himself to regret it at that precise moment.

"Harry, how dare you call the Headmaster a Dark Lord? He has always been there to help you! If it was not for the Headmaster, you would be dead!" Hermione bit back angrily her eyes snapping with righteous indignation.

Before either of them could say another word Harry stood up and said goodbye to Luna, then he picked up the egg and bacon sandwich that Luna handed him in a napkin. He turned around and looked into the eyes of the girl he once looked at like a sister and said in a cold and hate filled voice.

"Is this the same so-called caring person that has been taking my money and paying you to be my friend since day one? Or is this the person that left it up to me to kill a 60-foot snake, when all he did was sit in his office! I know this is not the same person that is planning to kill me after I have killed Voldemort off! If it weren't for him I would have never been put in dangerous situations in the first place!" Then he stormed out of the great hall with an exit that would make the potions master proud. Well, if he wasn't such a git. As he was walking down the hall he walked into the person he was waiting to see the most.

"Draco?" Harry called to the blonde haired boy.

The boy in question was just making his way to the great hall with his little click around him. Draco looked up at the sound of his name and looked into the dead eyes of the boy savior. He then turned his eyes to his best friend Blaise.

"I will be there in a second. Let me have a chance to talk to Potter alone for a minute or two." Without any more words, he walked up to Harry and told him in a calm voice

"Let's go somewhere private and talk, shall we?"

Harry looked back and nodded his head to Draco's little group.

"What about your friends?" Draco waved his hand in an unconcerned gesture.

"I told them to give me a minute to talk to you." With that the two boys walked off toward an unused classroom.

When they arrived Harry pulled out his wand and was about to put up some privacy wards when Draco stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Draco pulled out his wand and cast a spell to check to see if the room was being monitored. When the room turned blue, he walked over to Harry and took his hand, then pulled him out of the room. Harry pulled his hand away making Draco stop to a halt.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Draco took a second to slow down his breathing and then replied in the calmest voice he could muster at the time.

"Potter, the blue color means that the room cannot be charmed against people being able to spy." Harry's eyes widen at what the blonde boy had said.

"What do you mean the room cannot be charmed against people spying?" He asked looking at the younger Malfoy.

"What part of what I said did you not understand? It cannot be charmed with spells to keep the damn room private!"

"But how?" He asked confused and curious as to why it would be so.

"The Headmaster knows that most people in the school from the other houses use the top floor unused classrooms to talk, because they are too scared to come into Slytherin territory. So that he knows what is going on in the school at all times. He has used spells that keep people from being able to block private conversations from his ears."

"So, where can we go to talk?" Harry asked in a pissed off voice, his arms crossed over his chest.

"That's why I brought you to the Slytherin area; his spells don't work down here because it is how Salazar wanted it. He wanted his house to have privacy." When they arrived in the dungeons, Draco took him into a hallway that Harry had never seen before.

"Where does this hall lead?" He asked looking around.

"Just because I am bringing you down into Slytherin paradise that does not mean I am going to tell you anything about it. After all, you are still a Gryffindork." Draco told his Gryffindor classmate turning towards him with an arrogant smirk.

Harry crossed his arms over his chest with a slight glare and walked behind the blonde. After a quick turn to the right they walked up to a door with a picture of Salazar. This portrait of Lord Slytherin had him sitting in a wing back chair with elaborate silver snake carvings all over the outside of the chair and black velvet lining the back and seat. Sitting in what appeared to be his study by the fireplace Salazar himself was dressed in finely rich dark colored robes of green, black and gold runes running across the hem of his robes. In this picture he had green eyes and black hair, comb neatly back, Harry noticed this as he had seen him with red eyes in the chamber.

"Hello little Slytherin." The man greeted them.

"Hello Greatest of the Founders Four." Salazar then turned his head to the dark haired boy.

"If it is not the little Gryffindor? How did you sleep last night, little one?" He pointedly teased the young man. Harry shot a smug look at Draco.

/_I slept well, thank you_./ Salazar then let out a small chuckle and turned back to Draco.

"Why have you come?" Draco looked back and forth between Harry and Salazar for a second. He had forgotten that Potter was a snake speaker like his Lord.

"I am here to talk to Potter without it getting back to the wrong person."

"So you wish to have this room as a place to talk?" The man raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Yes, Lord Slytherin." Draco replied with respect and a slight bow of his head.

Harry gave Draco a long look he had never heard the blonde talk to anyone with respect but his head of house. Without any more words, the door opened and the two boys walked into the room. Harry looked around the room in shock; the room was nothing like how he thought it would be. The room was small and calming. The walls were a dark brown with a few beautiful paintings of the sea all around. It was definitely a place that he could get use to. Walking over to one of the two comfortable looking chairs he sat down and looked at Draco.

"So what did he say?"

A/N

Please read and review. I want to know if you all are enjoying this story more then the first one. I am happy with all of the favs and alerts but reviews make me want to work and not getting them makes me want to just say forget it. Reviews tell me that you enjoy the story and want more. Not getting reviews tell me that you don't really care either way. So for all of those that read and reviewed this story, this chapter is for you.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Path to Darkness Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer**

**I am not J.K.R this means that as much as I would want to. I do not own Harry Potter. NO money is made from this story.**

A/N: This story is co-written with Lord Kieran.

/_parseltounge_/

Draco took a minute to sit down in the other chair across from Harry and to get his thoughts together, but no matter what he did he could not find an easy way to say it so he just plunged in.

"Well he said that you are most definitely stupid." Harry was taken aback by this.

"How am I stupid?" He grumpily asked, leaning back.

"You are basically asking him to kill you even though you know for a fact that you have been lied to about everything. Instead of finding the truth about yourself you are just going to give up. What if you have real family out there? What if Lily and James Potter were not your parents?"

Harry blinked his eyes in stunned surprise. How could Voldemort know that Lily and James were not his real parents? Knowing that he could not let on that he knew his parents were not the Potters, he gave Draco a disbelieving look.

"What do you mean that Lily and James were not my parents?" He questioned the blonde, putting as much disbelief and confusion in his voice as he could.

Draco gave him a calculating look before his expression smoothed over and he shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Harry calmed himself down; Voldemort knew nothing about his real parents. At least that was what he hoped not. He felt a surge of relief and was grateful that Draco appeared not to notice.

"You are not even going to get revenge for what they did to your godfather." The blonde remarked almost casually.

At his words Harry flew up out of his chair in a rage. "Don't you dare bring up my fucking godfather! How dare you think you know anything about him!" Draco did not so much as flinch at Harry's enraged tone.

"Don't be stupid, you think that Albus couldn't see how close you were becoming to Sirius? Did you think that he would let someone else have influence over you? Did you think he would let you run off to live with Sirius knowing that he was from a dark family? Yes, it is true that Sirius did not practice dark magic, but he still never had any children. Do you know the reason for that? Well let me tell you, it is because Remus Lupin is not a pureblood! It is because he knew that no matter how much he loved him their children would only weaken magic in the long run!" Draco informed him.

Harry sat back down with a dawning understanding. The conversation he had had with Salazar the night before coming to the forefront of his mind. His expression turned sad. There was nothing he could say in response to what Draco had said. Then a stray thought touched the edge of his mind. "Maybe he did not want to pass the lycanthropy on to his children."

Draco just threw his head back and laughed. "Don't be stupid Potter, you cannot pass lycanthropy on unless you are a bitten. The real reason is because Lupin is a mudblood and his blood would have wiped out the Black pureblood line." Harry looked back at him with a thought.

"Well what about you? You are a Black by blood?" Draco raised an elegant eyebrow at him as though to question his intelligence. It angered Harry that he had no idea why the blonde would give him such a look at his question.

"Yes, Potter, my Mother is a Black but she married into the Malfoy line. Because she married into the Malfoy line her child would carry on the name and blood line of her husband. Besides she was not in the direct blood line, she and her sisters Andromeda and Bellatrix are a part of the secondary line. However, Sirius and his brother Regulus were a part of the primary line." Draco shook his head in what was clearly exasperation at Harry's ignorance.

"Damn, this is why we need to have classes here to teach you muggle raised people the old wizarding traditions. This is one of the reasons that purebloods don't want mudbloods in our world. Sirius was the last Black, he basically just killed off one of the oldest and most respected pureblood lines in the wizarding world." Harry dropped his head in his hands. The blonde just looked at him, waiting.

"How could he have not cared about his family line like that?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Even though my Father is in a committed relationship with his mate he made sure that the Malfoy line would continue." Draco told the dark haired boy.

Harry's head snapped back up at that. "Wait, isn't he with your mother, Narcissa?" He asked, confused.

"Yes, but my Mother is not my Fathers mate. My Father is in a mated relationship with another man."

"Who's your Father's mate?" Harry gave him a cheeky smile, trying to get him to tell.

Draco gave him a smug look back and told him in a condescending voice. "Now why in the hell would I ever tell you that? I know you don't think I am stupid enough to tell Dumbledore's little golden boy who Lucius Malfoy's mate is. Besides after the Ministry thing when you and your stupid little friends had him found out to be a death eater, it is too dangerous for his mate. You would probably run back to that old coot and tell him everything. I may have gone to the Dark Lord for you but I will never put the man my Father loves in danger like that."

Harry's smile dropped off his face at his words even though he had hoped Draco would tell him. He didn't know why but he was hurt by the blonde's words. He couldn't understand why but he wanted to be one of Draco's friends. Not for the second time that day he wished he would have taken Draco's hand of friendship over Ron's so long ago.

"Who knows, if we become friends I just might tell you who my Fathers mate is. I have always wanted to be your friend but you were always with the blood traitor and the mudblood. Maybe now that you know the truth about them, we can put all of the arguments and fighting that has happened behind us."

Harry stood up and put his hand out, "Hello my name is Harry Potter."

Without another word Draco stood up and reached to shake his hand. "Draculus Malfoy."

Harry's eyes widened. "I thought your name was Draco?"

"That is just the shortened form of my name; I go by that instead of Draculus." Harry nodded in understanding and released Draco's hand. He smiled. Then his eyes widened. Pulling out his wand, cast a quick tempus spell to see the time. A slightly girly squeak slipped out of his mouth as he saw the time and he started quickly towards the door.

"We are going to be late for potions." He called back to Draco. The other boy walked over to him and grabbed his arm.

"Will you calm down Potter?" Harry turned to him as the blonde Slytherin let go.

"Just because you are a Slytherin and will be safe from Professor Snape doesn't mean that I will." Draco then walked over to a blank picture frame in the room and called out.

"Lord Slytherin?" Without a second passing the man appeared in the frame.

"How may I help you little snake?"

"Can you have the door open from across the Potions classroom?" Draco asked politely.

"Will do little snake, if you can promise to bring me the latest news about your beloved Father." Draco rolled his eyes at that.

"I have no clue why you have such a fascination with my Father but I will do as you ask. Better yet, why don't you just talk to him, he walks past one of your pictures at least five times a day."

"Yes but you know he will never tell me any of the really good gossip." Salazar replied with a smirk.

Without another word the blonde walked to the door and opened it to look right in front of the potions classroom. Stepping out of the door Draco turned to Harry.

"Why don't you sit with me and my friends at lunch today? Or if you want you can partner with me in Potions Merlin knows you need the help." Draco told him as he closed the door. Harry shot him a dirty look.

"Thanks for the offer..." Before he could continue, Hermione and Ron stomped up to them. The looks on their faces showed their anger and disapproval of Harry's companion clearly. Really, it was amazing how Gryffindors were so transparent with their emotions. Harry felt a moment of annoyance that he was just as transparent. Then Ron opened his big mouth to speak.

"Why the hell are you talking to the slimy snake? He's just a wanna be death eater in training. He's as bad as his death eater father." Every word was laced with disgust and hatred.

Before Harry could say anything in response to the other boy's verbal attack, Ron was turned and slammed up against the wall by an enraged Draco Malfoy. The blonde leaned close to the red head and snarled.

"Just because my Father is not a spineless cowered like your family and doesn't want stupid little mudbloods coming into the magical world and tainting it doesn't make him evil. It is because of stupid little blood traitors like you and your family that we now have people like Neville that are damn near squibs. Any person that he has a child with will be magically weaker. You and your family are fucking disgraces to the name pureblood. You and your stupid fucking family are a part of the reason that we have so many problems with other magical creatures. So, don't you dare talk about my Father!" Harry walked up to the blonde's side and grabbed Draco firmly by the arm, pulling him away from the stunned and speechless Ron.

Looking over towards the door that he and Draco had just stepped through, Harry saw the uninhibited rage in Salazar's eyes as the man stared at Ron and Hermione. It made him shudder a bit even as he pulled Draco away from his former friends and the crowd that had started to gather. _Bloody gossipmongers._ Harry cursed them silently. He continued to pull on Draco until the two of them had entered the relative sanctuary of the Potions classroom. Without thinking about it too much, Harry walked them over to the Slytherin side of the room and pulled the unresisting blonde down beside him.

"I never understood why you and the other purebloods hated muggleborns so much until I talked to Salazar last night. If I had, I might have felt the same way you do long ago." Harry muttered darkly.

Draco turned to him after he had calmed down some and said in a quiet voice. "What do you mean you talked to Salazar last night?"

Harry looked away sheepish.

"I was really upset last night after a fight with Ron, Hermione and Ginny." Harry blinked rapidly at the sudden sting in his eyes as he thought of what had happened. Draco just glared at the pair of Gryffindors as they walked quickly by to their seats on the other side of the class.

"So I went down to the chamber of secrets. I found a picture of Salazar and he told me why purebloods hate muggleborns and half bloods so much." Harry continued.

Draco looked back at him. "Did he tell you about his first born?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah, he told me that he was killed by a muggle because of his magic."

"No, not his first born son. That was Salazar's second child that had been killed."

Harry looked at Draco confused. "Then what other child?"

Draco took a second to calm himself down, this story always made him mad. "Salazar's first born was a little girl; she was only a few days old. One of the muggle nurses saw his wife doing magic and she decided that the child would be a freak and just as unnatural as her Mother. While his wife was sleeping the nurse smothered the little girl in her sleep. It was the first child of Salazar and Rowena."

Harry had no clue what to say, he had never heard anything about this before.

"I never read about this in the history books." He said evenly.

"Of course not, but have you even read a book about Salazar? Why would you read about someone that you think is evil?" Draco raised an elegant eyebrow in question.

Harry turned his head in shame; it was true he had never given Slytherin a chance. He had always just believed whatever Ron and Hermione had told him. "I am sorry Draco. I never tried to understand anything about you or any of the other Slytherins. I wish I had let the hat put me in the house that I belonged."

Before Draco could respond to the shocking comment professor Snape stomped into the room. When he reached the front of the room, his eyes locked on Harry sitting with the Slytherins and he started right for them.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Mr. Potter? Are your glasses so dirty that you can't see colors or are you just too stupid to know where to sit?" Snape sneered at Harry as he approached.

Draco narrowed his eyes and said in a low scathing voice. "It may have missed your notice, because of you seeing James Potter but I asked Harry to work with me!"

The Potions professor looked taken aback, his black eyes widening slightly in shock. He appeared to have been completely floored by Draco's defense of Harry. The only times Draco got that angry was when someone was bothering one of his friends or someone he cared about. Without saying anything further, Snape turned and walked back to the front of the classroom as he tapped the board with his wand.

"Do the potion on the board, this is a group project. What are you waiting for! Get to work!" The professor barked at the class before he went to his desk to mark papers from his other classes.

Harry looked over at Draco surprised. "Thanks for defending me. I'll go get the equipment while you go get the ingredients."

Draco just nodded his head.

Two hours and one perfectly made potion later Harry was happy that he was giving Draco a chance. Instead of snapping at him for little mistakes like Hermione did, Draco told him what he did wrong and showed him how he could correct it. Draco was a better teacher then Snape was. He even enjoyed the class for the first time in his life. When they were packing up their books and supplies, Draco offered to be his partner in potions any time he liked. He even offered to tutor him in the subject.

As they walked to Transfiguration, he was introduced to Draco's friends.

"The boy standing on my left is Blaise Zabini, his family is from Italy and he is an only child. We have been friends ever since we were two years old." He indicated with a tilt of his head. Then he pointed to the girl of the group.

"The girl standing on the other side of Blaise is Pansy Parkinson. Her family is from Ireland and I have known her ever since I was about eight. She is also an only child."

Draco then pointed to another boy on the other side the girl. "This is Theodore Nott. His family is from here, but he had just moved back here in my first year. Theodore has an older brother and a little sister."

Harry nodded his head to each in greeting.

"You already know Vincent and Gregory Crabbe They are twins and I have known them just as long as Blaise. I will introduce you to the other Slytherin families a little later. The people that I have just introduced you to are the ones that matter the most to me." Before Harry could say a word, Blaise threw his arm on Draco's shoulder and said in a playfully sweet and mocking voice.

"Oh Draco, I didn't know you cared so much. How will I ever live knowing that the Ice Prince cares so much about his loyal subjects?" In response, Draco pushed his arm off and said in a confident voice.

"You should be happy to be one of my loyal subjects. I could always replace you with Potter." Then he rolled his eyes at his best friend as Blaise grabbed his heart and leaned against the wall in a playful manner.

"Please, please don't leave me, my little Dragon." Draco narrowed his eyes at his friend reaching over and lightly punched him in his arm.

"How many times do I have to tell you, only my Father can call me his little Dragon." For the rest of the day Harry stayed with Draco and the other Slytherins.

It was not until after dinner when he was called into the Headmasters office. As Harry made his way to the man's office, he thought about the apparent love and friendship between Draco and his friends. Not for the first time he wondered if he would have had loyal friends like that if he was in Slytherin.

Arriving at the gargoyle that guarded the Headmasters office, he gave the password and walked up the stairs. Before he could knock on the door he heard the old man and a voice that he didn't recognize talking.

"The boy was talking to a group of Slytherins, he is out of control. I thought he had taken the potion the last time he was in here but it's not working. I need something stronger to get the boy under my control again. I can't have him turn out like Tom, I will not allow the boy to do as he pleases." Dumbledore spoke demandingly as though he addressed a servant or a lesser colleague.

"Have you not learned? Didn't you try to control Tom and look what that got you? You are making the same mistakes again. If the boy ever found out how much he and the Dark Lord are alike I will feel bad for the trouble that you have brought on yourself."

"It won't be the same. Harry is nowhere near as smart or aware of his power like Tom was." The old man insisted, his frustration evident.

"You tried to use Tom in your war against Grindelwald and look at what happened he became the next Dark Lord. If people ever found out that you took the credit for the defeat of Grindelwald from Tom Riddle you would lose everything. You are not going to live forever why don't you just enjoy the fame from that win instead of risking it all? You are losing this war and you know it. Tom is stronger than Grindelwald ever was. If he has mated then you know you will never be able to stop him. You can keep telling yourself that he has created horcruxes if you want but you and I both know that Tom is a pureblood demon and he can't split his soul." The other man's voice was full of persuasive undertones, trying to reason with the Headmaster.

"I don't care about any of that; I want the damn creature dead! I will not leave this world until I see him dead!" The Headmaster's shouted exclamation startled Harry. He was curious as to the mysterious person in Albus's office.

"So you are going to send a child to his death all for a lie. You may have everyone else believing in that fake prophesy but you and I both know that he would never go after a child. You killed the boys real parents just like you did Tom's and if he finds out then they both will make you pay. I still don't know how Tom doesn't know that you killed his real parents but you better hope that he never finds out." Harry took a step back away from the door and slowly made his way down the stair, deep in thought.

When he reached the bottom, he turned and took off swiftly towards the chamber. He really needed to talk to Salazar; he wanted to know how he and Voldemort were so alike. His mind racing, Harry made his way quickly up to the third floor girl's bathroom. Once he was inside he hissed the password at the circle of sinks, barely waiting for it to open before he jumped into the dark opening in the floor and fell to the bottom.

He hoped that Salazar had the answers he needed, he just had to know what Tom's life was like. There had been little to no mention of Tom Riddle's life before and during his time at Hogwarts. It had been so long ago that it would be next to impossible to track down any of his year-mates that would be willing to talk. Which left him with the one person in the entire school that would be able to help him find answers. Salazar.

With barely on eye on his surroundings, Harry moved as fast as he could towards the hidden chamber he had found wherein lay the mirror of one Salazar Slytherin. Moving over to the entrance to the hidden chamber, he hissed the password and ran down the stairs. He walked straight up to the mirror where he first saw Salazar and paused. There were three people in the picture waiting for him instead of just the one that he had expected to see.

A/N:

Thank you all for the many wonderful reviews. I cant tell you all enough just how much they mean to me. Now that I have said that let me address some of the questions about Harry that some of you are asking.

First of all Harry is very emotional at this point. Yes he is a slytherin but he has been fighting that part of him so long that it is not just going to come out now when he is hurting the most. Most of the time when people are emotional they do things that others may find stupid, reckless or irresponsible. That is the point Harry is at now.

Then do remember that on top of his godfathers death and his friends betrayal Salazar has just turned his world around and shown him just how naive he has been.

Harry will become stronger and show his slytherin side but he is just being hit by so much right now that he isn't thinking right. Give it time and Harry will get his act together.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Path to Darkness Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer:**

**I wish I owned Harry Potter but I can't find it on eBay. Until I do the characters all belong to JK Rowling. **

A/N: Co-written with Lord Kieran. :D

"Hello little Gryffindor." Greeted Salazar with a small smile.

`"What the hell! Am I dreaming or have I finally lost my mind?" Harry asked blinking his eyes in confusion.

Salazar, who was sitting in the middle of the three in the painting, just rolled his eyes. "I told you that this was a mirror and that I control the pictures at Hogwarts."

"No you didn't! You said that your pictures were under your control. You did not say all pictures at Hogwarts were under your control." Harry pointed out to him.

Salazar just looked at him. "Never mind that. Why have you come?"

"I was…well I was just wondering how Voldemort and I are alike. Other then the ability to talk to snakes and the fact that we both have dark hair." Harry muttered. He hated how defeated he sounded.

Before Salazar could reply the beautiful woman on his right spoke. "Why don't we bring you to the demon world so that we may talk? The time here is different than the time there."

That was when the equally beautiful woman on Salazar's left spoke. "If he does not have demon or any other creature blood in him the power that flows naturally around this world will kill him immediately. It would be easier for us to just go to that realm and slow down time." Harry took a step back.

"How are you going to get in the castle without the Headmaster knowing?" He asked, looking up at them in confusion.

Salazar sighed. "Hogwarts would never expose one of her founders. Rowena and I," Salazar gestured to the woman on his right, "still control the wards around Hogwarts. The castle would never reject her founders or one of their heirs. In addition, as you know the chamber is not under the same rules as the rest of the school. I built it to be a place that my family and I could come and go as we please."

"Does that mean that people can apparate in and out of the chamber?" Harry's eyebrows rose with his question. Salazar smirked.

"That is exactly what I mean. That means no matter how powerful Albus may think he is, if Marvolo wanted to bring all of his death eaters into the school all he would have to do is apparate into the chamber. Nothing and no one can block someone from being able to come into the school except for Rowena and I. And we have not blocked Marvolo. Besides, Hogwarts is just as much his home now as it was fifty years ago. Now stand away from the mirror, we're coming through."

Harry hastily stepped away from the mirror. He tried to figure out how things had gotten so out of his control. He had expected to come down to the chamber and have Salazar simply point out the basic similarities between him and Voldemort. It didn't seem like such a complex subject to him. But now there were three people about to join him in the chamber of secrets who were supposed to have died centuries ago. Was anything in his life ever normal?

Salazar stepped out first and quickly glanced around the room before his mates followed. Rowena came first, her light blue eyes also scanning the room swiftly before turning towards Harry. Her skin was lightly tanned and appeared to glow. Her long dark brown hair stood out brilliantly against her skin. Morgan followed close behind the other woman. Her hair was also long but blonde instead of brown, her eyes were silver and her skin pale in a way that reminded Harry of Draco. They each wore simple, flowing gowns-Rowena's a pale blue that matched her eyes and Morgan's a pale green.

Both women smiled at the same time and he hesitantly smiled back. Salazar was watching their interactions curiously and when Harry noticed the scrutiny, he shook himself out of the stupor he had fallen into.

"Come through here, we can talk in the other room." Salazar commanded and his mates nodded and followed him to the other room. Harry walked slowly after them feeling as though he were in a strange waking dream. Salazar sat on the couch with his mates on either side of him and Harry sat in the chair across from them.

"Well Harry, you asked how you and my Marvolo are similar; well I ask that you listen in silence as I answer." Harry nodded his agreement and Salazar began.

"The first thing you must understand is that most of what you know is a lie. You and he are not half bloods. Albus Dumbledore has the ability to sense power and the potential for power. He killed Tom's family after learning what Tom would be born as and left him at a muggle orphanage. Much in the same way you were left on a door step with those you believe to be your family. Dumbledore wanted you to feel that mudbloods and half bloods belonged to this world. I told you once that I am not human. The same can be said for my mates.

"Rowena is an ice and water demon and I am earth and fire. Tom's Mother was child of the three of us and she passed all of her power to her son. What you don't know is that Morgan is a lust demon. She feeds from sex. Due to Marvolo getting his power from his Mother, he has the power of all of us. He also gets power from his Fathers family. His Father was also a lust demon and that is one of the reasons that Marvolo will need two mates.

"You have been told that Marvolo is my descendent; now you know how close of a descendant he truly is. Marvolo's Mother was our youngest daughter. That makes him my grandson. Marvolo's Mother was weak after giving birth as are all child bearers. Albus used this to kill her. Due to the fact that she was not mated to Marvolo's Father she died and cannot be reborn. Although Marvolo's parents were not true mates they loved each other very much. When his Father found his wife dead and his child missing he went into a rage. He was able to track his child to Albus's old home. Albus was casting spells to block Marvolo's magic until he could use him. Marvolo's Father flew in but was not expecting to find ten or more wizards waiting for him.

"Being enraged and overwhelmed by the number against him, he was killed. One of the first things I want you to remember is that Marvolo grew up during a time when anything you did wrong was punished severely and you were thought to have the devil in you. The orphanage that he grew up in was run by Nuns and he had no control of his magic at that age." Harry's face paled, he could see where this was going.

"This was also during a time when the country was at war. Orphanages often suffer the most during this time because they rely on money from the government to take care of the children. More often then not the Nuns at the orphanages did not have enough food to feed the children in the first place so whenever Marvolo had a burst of accidental magic the first thing they would do was withhold food. Remember that accidental magic can start as young as two depending on how powerful a person is.

"Now I know your relatives did not always give you food and you were made to cook and clean from the time you were five years old. I also know that you were abused for anything you did wrong by your aunt and uncle. Marvolo and you are alike in that aspect. Think about this, you only lived with three people that hated you. Marvolo grew up with more than twenty children and six adults that beat and starved him. Beating and starving was not the only thing that happened." Salazar took a deep breath and started to talk again.

"From the time Marvolo was six he was sexually abused." Harry could do nothing but stare at Salazar in shock after that statement. He could see the wizard, the demon, trying to collect himself. If even after all this time the man could barely bring himself to mention it then it must have been horrendous, Harry realized grimly. Finally, Salazar drew a deep breath and continued.

"It is a strange thing to say but you are lucky that your relatives thought you too contagious to touch you in ways other than beatings. Such things that happened to my Marvolo should never happen to anyone let alone an innocent child. I ask that you not make judgments upon Marvolo for the things he has done until you can look at things through his eyes. You, of anyone, should understand the kind of scars that are left after abuse, physical or otherwise.

"I would also like you to keep in mind that Marvolo had no one to help him through. And although you have recently discovered the truth behind your friendships, you at least had that comfort for a time. False though it was. Is it better to have known such a falsehood or to never have known any kind of comfort, I cannot say. From the moment he stepped foot in the wizarding world and his heritage was made clear, he has been used. He had people that only wanted to know all about me, they wanted to be able to touch the money I left for him. He never had anyone even try to be his friend. This was only after he was found out to be my heir, before that the Slytherins rejected him for his last name alone. They believed he was a mudblood and that he was nothing. He wasn't even safe in his own house. He had to sleep with the strongest wards he could manage in his bed to keep them from trying to hurt him." Harry felt positively stricken at the idea of what the older man was saying. It sounded much worse than the wizarding world's idolization of him for something he never did. At least most of the time the attention had been positive.

"I know you were told that he found the chamber in his fifth year but that is not true. Marvolo found the chamber in his second year when he was running from a group of boys from another house. While he attended Hogwarts, he practically lived in the chamber. I trained Marvolo in the chamber to keep himself safe. I was the one he use to run to when he had no one else. This is one of the reasons he becomes enraged when anyone talks bad about me. I am the only Father he has ever had. The chamber was the only place he felt safe." Salazar's face was filled with old pain and anguish that Harry could not begin to understand.

"Every summer he would ask to stay in the school to keep from being beaten and having the other things done to him, and every year Albus would make sure he was sent back. Albus used Marvolo the same way he used you in the war against Grindelwald. The difference is that Marvolo was able to kill the monster. If you are wondering why I call Grindelwald a monster it is because no matter what you may think of Marvolo he has never raped a child. He has also never let his death eaters commit rape either." Harry almost shook his head in stunned disbelief. Ever since he had entered the wizarding world he had been told what an evil manipulative monster Voldemort was. Now, Salazar had shown him in a more human light. Both versions clashed in his mind and he found himself hard pressed to reconcile the two opposing views.

"Now, child, do you have any questions or is there anything you don't understand?" Salazar's voice was kind and Harry felt a well of gratitude spring up inside him at the man's thoughtful question. He took a moment to gather his thoughts so that he did not stumble over the words.

"You said that Tom, that Marvolo was abused in his own house, so why didn't he tell anyone?" Salazar looked at Harry through narrow eyes.

"Oh but he did tell someone, he told many people. Remember which house he called his own. Slytherin. The house of the liars and the unworthy of concern. He came to me one time after he had went to the nurse in his first year in tears because she told him that a slimy snake like him deserved it. He was just a child and they sent him away bleeding and hurt.

"He came back to school in his fifth year so beaten and bruised that he spent the first two weeks in the hospital wing. Even after that he was sent back. Some of the people who you looked up to are the same people that treated him like he was nothing.

"Your head of house was one of the people that tried to befriend him for his money and the books that are in his vaults. You can't blame him for hating every one of them; you can't blame him for wanting them dead for what they have done." Harry knew he could not argue with what Salazar told him. Now he saw what he had to do.

They talked for a time after that about simpler matters. Salazar asked Harry questions about what he had learned in school that day and how his classmates behaved around him. It was refreshing to Harry to have someone listen to him as he spoke without judging and without offering him solutions. Salazar and his wives were the perfect audience, cordial and polite.

Three hours later Harry was walking toward Gryffindor tower pondering the similarities between Tom Riddle or Marvolo as Salazar called him, and Harry himself. He hadn't known much about Tom Riddle at all, his past was never spoken about and while Harry had intellectually known the dark lord had not just sprung into existence he had never considered his past. If he had gone through half of what Tom had gone through he would have probably turned out the same. He knew that he had it bad, but it was never like what Tom had been through.

It was nearing three in the morning by the time Harry made it back to the tower and he was glad it was the weekend as it meant he could sleep a bit later. He had plans to meet Draco and the other Slytherins for the day at ten but until then he could sleep. He had never been happier than he was as he collapsed into his bed.

**Back In The Chamber**

Salazar, Rowena and Morgan watched the child leave the chamber in silence. The women were curious; they had felt their mate use his magic on the child during their conversations. The boy of course had not noticed. Now, the two women awaited the results of whatever the spell revealed. The entrance sealed once more and they turned to their mate.

"Not here. Let's go home, this could take some time." The women nodded and followed their mate through the picture into the demon world.

Once they arrived they walked into the sitting room and Salazar summoned an elf to bring them tea.

"What's going on Sal? What spell did you use on the boy and what did you find that upset you?" Morgan asked, clearly eager to discover what had upset their mate. Salazar sighed.

"I cast a spell to reveal hidden things; I wanted to see if the boy had anything else kept from him." He almost whispered, still trying to process everything he had learned in the past hours. They had told Harry parts of Marvolo's life and asked about his own experiences. There were many more similarities than Salazar had expected. The two women looked at him expectantly; they knew it must have been something big to upset him so.

"The child is a demon, he's Marvolo and Lucius's other mate. I also found so many different blocks on his magic that it is a shock that he can even do magic at all."

**Harry**

The next morning Harry met the Slytherin group in the Great Hall. He was worried for a second that he wouldn't be received well despite the warm welcome yesterday. As if sensing this Pansy looked up and smiled. "Sit with me sweetie, don't mind these guys they're not morning people."

Harry nodded smiling a little as he sat beside Pansy. She piled his plate with food and ordered him to eat. Draco grinned over at him.

"Pansy likes to mother people. You being small makes you an easy target." Harry smiled, not minding in the least. He had never had anyone to look after him before. It was definitely a nice change.

"Don't let her over feed you Harry. We wouldn't want to have a fat savior, now would we?" Blaise warned in mock seriousness, dodging a punch from Pansy.

"I'll keep that in mind." Harry replied, feeling himself relaxing even more at the amiable attitudes that prevailed at the Slytherin table.

"So is there anything in particular you want to do today?" Draco asked and Harry shook his head.

He was looking forward to hanging out with people he wanted to be around. It was strange but he thought of the Slytherins as his friends already. He guessed it was because they already knew a bit about each other; after all, they had been steady enemies for years now. They had had to do their research.

The group decided to hang out by the lake and talk for a few hours. Harry unconsciously stuck close to Pansy. It just felt safer. Even though he had been safe with them the day before he still didn't feel completely sure about the guys. After all, they had a lot of bad history between them. Well between him and Draco as Blaise and Theo were never ones to say negative things about Harry or his so called friends. In fact he couldn't even remember a time when he saw Blaise or Theo disrespecting anyone. They stuck to safe topics most of the day; Quidditch, classes and general gossip about other students. They had lunch by the lake, delivered by the elves.

"So tell me, what really happened first year." Blaise directed the question to Harry as the others began picking out their favorite dishes the elves had brought.

Harry tilted his head to the side in question. "What do you mean?"

"At the end of the year. All we heard was something about a stone of some kind that was important. And someone trying to steal it." The others paused in their consumption of lunch, their interest clearly evident.

"Well," Harry began, "it all started with the day Hagrid took me shopping in Diagon Alley." He went on to explain to them the happenings in first year with the sorcerer's stone and the race to discover what was hidden in the third floor corridor and who it was that had truly been after it. The Slytherins listened with fascination as he described the measures that had safeguarded the stone from supposed theft.

By the time he had finished recounting the adventure of first year, they decided to call it a day. The sun was setting over the lake and wind had gotten bite to it.

Harry decided to go back to his dorm to get ready for dinner so the Slytherins walked him to the staircase where Pansy hugged him goodbye. They were going to meet him in the hall in the morning so they could study together.

It felt a little strange after the Slytherins left. Harry stood for a moment feeling oddly bereft. Then he shook himself and continued to his dorm room. He passed no one on the way and was infinitely grateful. The last thing he needed was to see one of the people who had betrayed him so deeply.

With a sigh, Harry sat on the edge of his bed, closing his eyes for a moment. He knew he had to get ready to go to dinner but he couldn't bring himself to move. So much had happened to him lately and he had learned so many disturbing things that he just wanted a moment's peace. That was all. Just a moment to not think about anything, to not worry about what the next day would bring. Taking a deep breath, Harry cleared his mind.

It was still hard to believe that he had been so wrong and naïve in his thinking. He just didn't understand how he could have not seen what was so obvious to him now. He didn't understand how he had forgotten everything he had been made to learn while living with those so called members of his family. It was almost like as soon as he came into the wizarding world his self preservation, quiet and shy personality became obsolete.

A sudden sharp pain at the back of his head expelled the air from his lungs forcefully. His eyes flew open even as darkness descended on him and his last coherent thought was to wonder who had betrayed him now.

The first thing that Harry noticed when he woke up was the pain all over his body. There wasn't a way he could move to get more comfortable that didn't send mind numbing pain all over. Although he was unbound, the pain made it impossible for him to even think about getting up. The next thing he noticed was that whoever had done this had left his glasses on and he could recognize just where they had taken him. He couldn't believe they would take him to the shrieking shack like no one would look there when they realized that he was missing. Last but not least was that he was not alone in the room like he had previously thought.

"So you are finally awake traitor? I thought for sure that you would be out longer then you were, I guess that is another one of your little boy-who-lived special gifts huh?" The arrogant voice of Ronald Weasley broke through the pounding headache that Harry had just noticed. Where once the smirk would have looked entirely out of place on the red-head, now it seemed perfectly natural.

When Harry did not reply to his taunting, he began to turn red with rage. Of course, this was nothing new to Harry. Ron always got mad when no one was focused on him. "Oh now you can't answer questions stupid little boy hero?"

"Shut up Ron," another voice said, getting louder as the person moved closer. "We are not here for your little power trips."

"Don't tell me to shut up Mione, besides it is not like he is going anywhere any time soon. We have to keep him long enough for people to notice the boy hero gone. So why not tell him just how I feel about him. Why not tell him just how long I have wanted to slap him around. Besides he won't remember any of this after we give him the potions. So what is the problem?"

"The problem, as you put it, is that Headmaster Dumbledore told us to get some information from him or is your little issues more important then what the headmaster wants?" Hermione asked while giving Ron a superior look.

"Fine take all of my fun from me."

"Oh hush Ron, you are the one that beat the living crap out of him and you looked like you were having fun with that." Ginny said while coming out of another room. "Looked like you broke a couple ribs."

"Will both of you shut up so we can get down to questioning him before he passes out from the pain he must be in!" Hermione shouted. Dismissing the other two in the room as if they didn't matter she turned to Harry.

"Now Harry you are going to tell me everything you know about the headmasters plans and everything you have planned as a result of those plans."

Harry took a moment before starting to laugh. "Ha-ha. What would make you think I would tell you anything that I have plan for a bunch of backstabbing money hungry traitors like you? I will tell you nothing and you can all go to hell if you think that will change any time soon."

"Oh Harry we can do this the hard way or we can do this the easy way but no matter how we do it you will be talking." Ginny said while leaning over in Harry's face. In response Harry gave her a flat look and closed his lips as tight as he could.

"So you want it to be the hard way, I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this but you have made up your mind." With that she pulled out her wand. "Crucio!"

Harry closed his eyes and bit down on his lip to keep from screaming. As much as he wanted to cry out he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing him break down. After a minute or so the pain was gone although he could still feel his body shaking from the pain.

"Now Harry tell us everything you have heard about what the headmaster has planned." Harry opened his eyes and mouth to tell her to fuck off when he thought better of it.

"You should already know everything that I know." He said while coughing up blood. "It's not like I've been shy the past few days." That last sentence was more for himself than for their benefit. Why _had_ he been so stupid the last few days? Where was his Slytherin cunning? He had to have some of it. The hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin for a reason.

"Looks like he's going to be stubborn." Ron did nothing to hide his glee at the thought. He turned to Hermione. "Let me have a go again."

She gave a much put upon sigh and gestured for him to go ahead. With a big grin on his face, Ron brought out a long, thin piece of wood. It had the same general appearance as the rest of the Shrieking Shack so Harry could only assume he had picked it up from somewhere in the dilapidated building. There was no need for Harry to wonder what Ron planned on doing with his makeshift club. Instead, he tried to brace himself for whatever the red-head did. He was determined that they would not see him break.

With deliberate and cruel slowness, Ron raised the club over his head. He held it there for a long, indefinable moment before bringing it down on one of Harry's legs. A sharp crack resounded in the small room and Harry couldn't help a strangled yelp that escaped him. Stars swam before his eyes and his leg felt as though someone had driven sharp knives through his flesh. He tried to curl into a fetal position in an instinctive effort to protect himself but a shooting pain in his side prevented him.

"Didn't like that did you traitor?" Ron gloated bringing the club down again and again. The only sound that Harry made after the first yelp was a muffled whimper. He would _not_ give Ron the satisfaction.

"Are you ready to talk?" Hermione persisted after Ron paused to catch his breath.

"Screw you." Harry croaked.

"Wrong answer." Ron said in a sing-song voice before bringing his heel down on Harry's wrist.

A scream tore its way out of Harry's lungs as agony blinded him to all else. He could feel himself starting to slip from reality. The room started to go black around the edges.

"We need answers from him, Ronald." Ginny huffed in annoyance.

"You give it a try then." Ron grumbled.

"_Incendio_."

Harry merely grunted as a small burst of flame shot from the end of Ginny's wand and burned him. She cast the spell several more times causing minor burns on his arms and legs. After having his bones broken by the other red-head, Harry barely felt the fire at all. He managed to sneer at the three Gryffindors.

"This isn't working." Hermione muttered. "We'll have to move on to the next step."

Harry tried to focus on what was happening but his head felt as though someone had cracked it open and he couldn't concentrate on anything more than the pain that wracked his body. He barely twitched when he felt himself lifted up slightly. Someone, Hermione he thought, forced his mouth open and began pouring something down his throat. He was forced to swallow or choke on the foul tasting liquid. The last sight he had before passing out was Ginny's smug smile.

**The Slytherins**

After they left Harry at Gryffindor tower, the Slytherins made their way to the dungeons to discuss tactics. They all decided the night before that they wanted to be Harry's friend; that they wanted him in their group. They had made a start today, now they needed to work out the next step.

An hour later the Slytherins had a plan. They walked into the great hall that night for dinner and they looked around for Harry. He wasn't there. Pansy stopped them from saying anything and led the way to the Slytherin table.

"He's probably in bed already he looked tired this afternoon." She told him and he nodded.

"We could ask one of the other lions if he's okay." Blaise suggested and Draco nodded. The meal was filled with a tension that they couldn't define but they all felt instinctively that something was wrong with their new friend. After the meal they cornered Neville Longbottom.

"Have you seen Harry?" Draco asked trying not to sound too worried.

Neville eyed them suspiciously. "And why should I tell you that?"

"Now look here Longbottom," Theo started forward angrily but Draco held up a hand to stop him.

"Look, Neville," Draco spoke softly, "we are his friends now. He was supposed to meet us here and he hasn't. We were wondering if anyone from your house had seen him."

"I don't understand." Neville said hesitantly. "I didn't think Harry would ever become friends with Slytherins." Then his voice became hard as steel. "And if you think I'll let you hurt him in some way you've got another thing coming."

Draco held up both hands in a placating gesture. Clearly he would have to abandon his pureblood heritage and show his emotions like a Gryffindor. If only to convince Neville of his sincerity. So he allowed the concern that he was feeling to become apparent on his face. "We just want to know if he's alright Neville. Please?"

Neville hesitated, appearing torn, before sighing in defeat. "When I left the room his bed curtains were closed. He doesn't usually close them but I think he was sleeping."

Pansy nodded, it was just like she said. Expressing his thanks to Neville, Draco and the Slytherins returned to their room. They never noticed Harry wasn't the only one absent from dinner.

The next morning Harry was missing from breakfast. The Slytherins began to panic. Draco looked over the Gryffindor table several times hoping Harry had merely forgotten about their plans. No luck, the younger boy was nowhere to be seen. He spotted Longbottom as soon as he walked in and rose to confront him. As soon as he got close Neville began to speak

"No I haven't seen him, when I woke up his curtains were open and his bed was empty. Maybe he's at the pitch or something." He suggested. Draco stared at him and nodded; he turned on his heels and walked back to the Slytherin table.

"We need to search. This feels wrong. Blaise check the Quidditch pitch, Pansy spread the word, Vince go wait in the library, Greg and I will look around inside. Meet back here in an hour." He finished and they agreed. They were really starting to get worried about their new friend.

An hour later they met once again in the hall no one had found or heard anything. They then took it to the staff. Snape was their first choice.

"Pansy you go talk to Snape, Blaise go talk to Hagrid. Let him know Harry's gone. He'll make sure they do something. Vince and Greg and I'll go look some more." Draco told each of them.

The others nodded, they split up once again and within an hour the search was in full force. The castle had been completely searched and so had the grounds. All that was left was the forest and Hagrid had asked for the centaurs' aid to search it.

The Slytherins returned to searching the castle before Draco remembered the Slytherin room. He turned quickly and his friends followed. Once he reached the room he paused.

"Sir, Harry's missing." He said as soon as he had the portraits attention. Salazar looked shocked and immediately allowed them passage.

"Draco, I don't know how to tell you this and I hope your fathers explained your family history to you…" Draco nodded and Salazar looked relieved. It made it so much easier.

"You know then your father has two mates." Once again Draco nodded.

"It would seem that Harry is their mate." At Draco's stunned look Salazar smiled.

"You must keep searching. I will alert Marvolo and Lucius to the situation." He finished and the group nodded.

It was just before noon when word reached the castle that Harry had been found. Unconscious. In the forbidden forest. The faculty were in a panic and Harry had been taken to the hospital wing. Within minutes Pansy had let Salazar know and word was sent to Riddle Manor. Within an hour of Harry being found there were ministry officials in the school demanding justice. But as night fell and went, Harry was yet to wake.

A/N

Hay everyone. I have not given up on this story. I already have the next chapter ready to go. However do understand that I am trying to get back into college and my beta is already in college. I have also been making changes that take time and am writing on other projects. Such as Angel from Dreams a story that I have adopted from a wonderful writer. I also have my own original stories that I am working on getting published. So if it takes me some time to get chapters posted then please send me a message or review and tell me to get my ass to work. I just may have forgotten how long it has been with all the different things I have going on.

P.S

I do remember saying in a A/N that I made Crab and Goil twins for the story. So the next person that sends me a review saying that they are not brothers needs to read the damn A/N because I don't want to hear it any more. It is called fan fiction and if you want to read canon then read the damn books. I do write for the enjoyment of me and my fans but I also write whatever the hell I want rather you like it or not is up to you. Sorry about the rant but this is something I needed to say.


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